An annual initiative for retailers and companies to show their support for national service (NS) by offering servicemen discounts and promotions is seeing its largest turnout this year.

More than 300 organisations - including supermarkets, hotels, food and beverage outlets, cinemas and retail shops - are taking part in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day promotions, which coincides with SAF Day today. This year also marks 50 years of NS, which started in 1967.

The SAF Day promotions, which are aimed at recognising the contributions of national servicemen from the SAF and Home Team, started in 2013 with just 21 merchants, and had about 200 companies taking part last year.

All former and current servicemen can benefit from the promotions - such as discounts on restaurant bills or special hotel rates - which are mostly available from yesterday to Aug 10.

Depending on the benefits they wish to redeem, servicemen will either have to don their uniforms or display valid identification, such as their service ID (the 11B) or their Safra/Home Team NS cards.

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), for example, will be offering one- for-one adult tickets to its Adventure Cove Waterpark, S.E.A. Aquarium and Universal Studios Singapore theme park. There are 1,000 one-for-one packages to be redeemed for each attraction during the promotional period till Aug 10.

RWS' vice-president for business development Alan Teo said: "We understand that NS forms a key pillar of the entire defence of Singapore."

During his interview for SAF Day, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said he was "very thankful" for the way businesses have responded to the SAF Day promotions initiative, which began as a ground-up movement.

National servicemen can visit spotns50.spotnwin.asia/Promotion to check out the deals.

Adrian Lim