SINGAPORE - Some booking platforms and beneficiaries are seeing a jump in donations of SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRVs) as the scheme ends on Friday (Dec 31).

The $320 million SRV scheme was launched in December last year to help the battered tourism sector. Under the scheme, each Singaporean aged 18 and above was given $100 worth of credits to spend on local attractions, hotels and tours.

It was supposed to end in June this year but was extended by six months till Dec 31.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) later said Singaporeans can still use their vouchers until March 31 next year, provided that they make bookings before Friday.

Since the scheme was launched, several organisations and booking platforms have been working to help Singaporeans donate their vouchers to the less privileged.

ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR), a social enterprise that supports the needs of migrant workers here, has seen the number of SRVs donated this month increase by more than double.

Ms Jocelyn Lim, a lead volunteer at IRR, said it received about 2,100 tickets to local attractions this month, up from about 800 last month.

She said: "I've been receiving more calls this month from people asking me how they can donate their vouchers to migrant workers, and I expect there will be more coming in."

Under an initiative between booking platform Klook and the Singapore Flyer, Singaporeans can buy a ticket for the attraction at $35 for one migrant worker, via Klook.

For every three tickets donated, Singapore Flyer contributes two tickets.

Ms Lim said: "The migrant workers enjoy the experience thoroughly, and it is a first-time experience for many of them. Some of them do not even earn $35 a day so it is unlikely that they will want to spend it on going to attractions."

Ms Ezzati Azmi, head of fund-raising and partnerships at charity Free Food For All, said it has exceeded its target by almost double since it started accepting donated SRVs last month.

The charity, which also works with Klook, has received about 1,840 tickets for various attractions, such as wax museum Madame Tussauds Singapore and simulated skydiving experience iFly. The initial goal was to hit 1,000 tickets.

"We hope this will inspire Singaporeans to continue to pay it forward to create novel and unforgettable experiences for our beneficiaries," said Ms Azmi, adding that the tickets will be able to benefit more than 250 underprivileged families.

Social enterprise Corporate Alliance For Good also saw about 1,180 donations this month, up from about 17 in September when it first started accepting donations.

Chairman Png Bee Hin attributed this to outreach efforts and also the impending booking deadline.

Booking platforms have also seen more donations through their sites towards the year end.

Klook said it has seen more Singaporeans donating their SRVs, and Traveloka also said it has seen a "significant increase" in the number of SRV donations this month.

A Trip.com spokesman said it has seen "strong interest" towards beneficiaries in recent weeks, which may partly be due to the year-end festive season and the SRV deadline.

STB said on Wednesday (Dec 29) that there has been an increase in SRV bookings this month.

It added that those who wish to donate their vouchers must do so by Friday. The donations can be done through physical booking counters or through authorised booking platforms such as Klook, Traveloka or Trip.com.

As at Dec 1, about 1.4 million Singaporeans have used their SRVs at least once. More than 1.6 million are expected to do so by the end of this month.

How to donate your SingapoRediscovers Vouchers

Singaporeans who wish to donate their SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRVs) must do so by Dec 31.

Here's how:

Step 1: Visit booking partner sites

Some authorised booking partners, such as GlobalTix, Klook, Traveloka and Trip.com, allow people to donate their SRVs. These vouchers can be used to redeem tickets at local attractions such as the Singapore Flyer or Gardens by the Bay.

Step 2: Select your preferred campaigns

Choose the desired quantity of tickets or activity packages, and add them to your cart.

Step 3: Select your donation amount

Generate the unique voucher code via Singpass to use the vouchers. Key in your payment information if you would like to donate more.

Step 4: Checkout

Upon completion, the authorised booking partners will process the donation towards beneficiaries.