Tour operators CNA spoke to said they are expecting more business from the vouchers, launched to support the local tourism industry, which has been battered by COVID-19.Founder of Oriental Travel and Tours Stanley Foo told CNA he has already received several inquiries from interested customers keen to use their vouchers on their tours.
While he expects that the company will definitely see an increase in bookings after the vouchers are launched in December, he is not sure how big the spike will be. READ: Why wait for your S$100 tourism vouchers? Our picks of discounted activities to enjoy right now “I really hope very much that these vouchers will help us, but I’m a little bit unsure because it’s really dependent on the spending pattern of locals, whether they would just go for a staycation - the easiest way to spend it.”
“It is important that all hotels or attractions curate packages that will attract and draw the local consumers so that they can benefit from the SingapoRediscovers campaign.” Hospitality businesses have been seeing more activity since the Government allowed the resumption of local staycations, he added, and the industry can expect “a slight boost” in business with the S$100 vouchers.To appeal to local clientele, tourism companies have had to make changes to their programme lineup. Some even expect to expand their team to accommodate more bookings.
The team also launched an educational tour series targeted at parents with young children, touching on topics in the school syllabus. “People are just trying to find ways to do something in Singapore. Everyone is bored, nobody can travel, so what are we going to do? So most probably either staycation or going on tours,” he added.
“We want to attract photographers, people who love underwater photography to come and join us at Pulau Hantu, there are a lot of critters for them to take photos of.”The company received about 30 queries after the announcement of the vouchers, but has not accepted any bookings yet, she added. “Because the thing is obviously the vouchers are not released yet, and we definitely need more clarity from STB about these vouchers as well - like how is it going to work for us as an operator.