Serviced residence Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore is the latest tourism business to support Singapore’s fervent national vaccination drive with discounts and perks made exclusive to fully vaccinated customers.
The property’s It’s Worth The Shot offer, available from now until December 22, grants vaccinated Singapore residents S$30 (US$22) off Best Available Rate, along with a three-course dinner at the in-house restaurant, and access to hotel facilities.
While there have been many tourism companies supporting national vaccination efforts elsewhere in Asia, such as in Hong Kong where tourism giants like Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Genting Cruise Lines and Langham Hospitality Group have conducted campaigns encouraging locals to get vaccinated, the same extent is not seen in Singapore.
Since the start of Singapore’s national vaccination drive in January 2021, most of the private sector support had come from non-tourism businesses, such as home cleaning services, car sharing providers and eateries.
Online travel platform KKDay was among the first tourism businesses in Singapore to do so. For a full month in July 2021, it gave away cruise discounts of up to S$250 to residents who have been fully vaccinated.
Co-founder Liu Weichun said: “Many Singapore residents, particularly the younger ones, are sitting on the fence as they do not see the need to get vaccinated. We believe that tourism-led vaccination perks may incentivise people to get their vaccination done earlier to enjoy the perks.”
Liu revealed that the cruise campaign attracted strong interest. “Many people even sent direct messages to us on Instagram with their vaccination status to enquire about the promo codes for cruise discounts,” she said.
KKDay continues to support the national vaccination programme with seven per cent storewide discount for vaccinated customers, promoted through the iamvaccinated.sg platform.
“The redemption rate is healthy and we do see continuous traction from this offer,” she said, adding that KKDay is exploring the possibility of securing tier-up offers from partners.
Beyond rewarding residents who have responded to the nation’s vaccination call, such initiatives also help to encourage domestic tourism spend – the only reliable source of income for Singapore’s tourism players while international travel remains largely restricted.
After Millennium Hotels and Resorts kicked off its month-long vaccination promotions for stays and dining across its six properties in the lead up to Singapore’s National Day on August 9, it saw a 20 per cent increase in staycation bookings for the month, compared to the previous month.
Paul Er, vice president sales, Asia, noted that F&B earnings benefitted too, especially over the weekends.
He said: “The new rules where only fully vaccinated patrons are allowed to dine in have definitely increased the take-up rate for our vaccination promotions. This trend indicates Singapore’s effective vaccine rollout is restoring consumer demand to pre-pandemic levels, fuelled by rising consumer confidence, pent-up demand, and accumulated savings.”
Although the hotel group’s vaccination promotions are coming to an end, Er said the company remains “committed to supporting the government’s vaccination drive through increased responsiveness and accountability”.
In the works are “creative ways for community outreach to educate, dispel misinformation, and influence behaviours”, shared Er.
At press time, Singapore’s national vaccination programme has achieved a 77 per cent fully vaccinated population, with 82 per cent having received at least one of two vaccine doses. The government has set a target of inoculating 80 per cent of its residents by September, in order to facilitate a progressive transition to endemic Covid state.
