From December, all Singaporeans aged 18 and above will receive S$100 (US$74) worth of SingapoRediscovers vouchers, which can be used on staycations, attraction tickets and tours.
The vouchers will be provided in denominations of S$10 via the SingPass government portal, and will be valid for seven months between this December through end-June next year, reported Channel NewsAsia.
A S$10 subsidy will also be provided for children and youth tickets for attractions and tours, according to a fact sheet distributed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Wednesday, said the report. Each adult may purchase up to six children or youth tickets at subsidised prices during the duration of the scheme, it added. More details on the redemption mechanism will be announced in November.
Trade and industry minister Chan Chun Sing was quoted by the report as telling reporters at the Jurong Bird Park on Wednesday that the move will help the local tourism industry hit hard by Covid-19 to rebound. “This is not a social assistance scheme. This is an economic scheme to help our tourist attractions to preserve their capabilities that have been built up over the years, while they consolidate capacity in the interim,” he said.
STB CEO Keith Tan said the agency will put out a tender to appoint the platform providers for the redemption of the vouchers, according to the report. “We envisage it to be fairly simple and straightforward. We don’t want it to be too complicated for our locals using it, as well as for the merchants who benefit from it,” he added.
Last month, deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat announced that the government would set aside S$320 million in vouchers to encourage its citizens to participate in the SingapoRediscovers domestic tourism campaign. All licensed hotels, attractions and tours that have been approved by the STB to operate or reopen can benefit from this scheme.
From Friday, attractions that have received approval to resume operations can apply to the STB to increase their operating capacity from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, subject to approval by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Attractions can also apply to increase the capacity at their outdoor shows, which were previously limited to a maximum of 50 people.
Minor Hotels has partnered with Thai developer M.K. Real Estate Development and VitalLife Scientific Wellness Centre, a subsidiary of Bumrungrad International Hospital, to launch RAKxa Fully Integrative Wellness and Medical Retreat in the Thai capital of Bangkok.
Launching in December 2020, RAKxa was conceived as a fully sustainable medical wellness retreat within Bang Krachao on the Chao Praya River, known locally as the ‘Green Lung’ of Bangkok. The concept aims to deliver bespoke healthcare in a relaxing environment.
RAKxa’s 60 private villas will be managed by Minor Hotels. In December, 27 garden villas spanning 80m2 will welcome the retreat’s first guests. Pool villas and a presidential villa are set to launch in early 2021.
William E Heinecke, chairman and founder of Minor International, owning company of Minor Hotels, said: “At a time when customers are reprioritising their health, the hospitality industry’s pivot to wellness is no longer a trend but a necessity. Refocusing on health is happening on the community level too, making the arrival of pioneering concepts such as RAKxa all the more important.”
Separated from the rest of Bangkok by a winding river, RAKxa is accessible by both boat and car, and is located approximately an hour from both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports.