Factsheet: SingapoRediscovers and Expanded Attractions Guidelines

SingapoRediscovers Vouchers

What are SingapoRediscovers Vouchers:
On 17 August 2020, the Government announced that S$320 million would be set aside in the form of SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, to encourage Singaporeans to support our tourism businesses, which have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. SingapoRediscovers Vouchers will take the form of credits that Singapore citizens can spend on hotels stays, attractions tickets and/or tours.

• Each Singapore citizen aged 18 years and above in 2020 will receive $100 worth of Vouchers, digitally accessible via SingPass.
• The Vouchers will be provided in denominations of $10, and may be used to purchase tickets for tourist attractions and tours[1], and for accommodation bookings at licensed hotels.
• The Government will also provide a $10 subsidy for child/youth tickets for attractions and tours. Each SingapoRediscovers Vouchers user is eligible to purchase up to six child/youth tickets at subsidised prices for the duration of the scheme.
• The scheme will last for seven months, from December 2020 to end-June 2021.

What does this mean for Singaporeans?
The SingapoRediscovers Vouchers scheme will complement the ongoing SingapoRediscovers campaign, which was launched on 22 July. To date, over 200 attractive deals and bundled packages have been launched to encourage locals to explore different precincts and aspects of life of Singapore. The SingapoRediscovers Vouchers will provide further encouragement for Singaporeans to do so, while observing all safe management measures (SMMs).

What does this mean for tourism businesses?
All licensed hotels, tourist attractions and tours1 that have been approved by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to operate or reopen are eligible to benefit from this scheme, which will contribute towards business revenue, and help these businesses tide through this challenging period.

To support efforts to become a Smart Nation, STB expects that the redemption process for the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers will adopt a digital mode by default, while providing support for those who have difficulties using digital modes. STB will announce the specific details of the redemption mechanisms in November.

Expanded operating capacity for attractions

What are the key changes:
From 18 September 2020 onwards, attractions that have received approval to resume operations can apply to STB to increase their operating capacity from 25 per cent to up to 50 per cent, subject to approval by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). Attractions can also apply to STB to scale up the capacity at their outdoor shows to a maximum of five zones, with 50 people per zone, subject to the implementation of SMMs. Each zone should provide sufficient space for at least one metre distancing between individuals who are not from the same group. Zones should be clearly demarcated with a separation of at least three metres between zones. Previously, outdoor shows were subjected to a maximum capacity limit of 50 people.

Why has the change come about? Since their reopening, attraction operations have demonstrated good compliance with SMMs. They have been effective at preventing and dispersing crowds and maintaining high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. All attractions also introduced online booking systems for timed-entry or pre-booking of activities to monitor and control visitor numbers. All attractions have also prepared detailed cleaning and sanitisation regimes and response plans to handle cases of infection. STB will continue to conduct enforcement checks to ensure that attractions can implement the necessary SMMs effectively even with larger capacity limits.

[1] Tours provided by ACRA-registered businesses that have been granted approval by MTI for tour re-openings, and who are conducting regular runs of such approved tours.