Daily Briefing: Singapore rolls out COVID-19 insurance for inbound travellers; SG, France join forces to develop tourism startups

And MAS unveils Year of the Ox coins.

From TTGAsia:

Inbound visitors to Singapore can now buy travel insurance coverage for COVID-19-related costs incurred during their stay here, Changi Airport Group and Singapore Tourism Board said in a joint statement.

The statement was made on behalf of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce Alliance for Action on enabling safe and innovative visitor experiences.

Under the plan, three insurance companies, namely AIG Asia Pacific Insurance, Chubb Insurance Singapore, and HL Assurance have developed travel insurance products which provide at least $30,000 (US$22,326) in coverage for CoOVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs.

The minimum coverage amount is based on recommendations by the Ministry of Health, in view of COVID-19 bill sizes at private hospitals, which is where inbound travellers typically receive care for the virus.

Premiums for these inbound travel insurance plans start from $5.35, inclusive of GST, and can be purchased directly from the insurers through their respective websites.

Read more here.

From TTGAsia:

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is partnering with Paris&Co, Paris’ economic development and innovation agency, to develop the tourism sectors in Singapore and Paris through exchange programmes between startups and information sharing.

The first-of-its-kind agreement between Singapore and France seeks to promote the development of tourism start-ups and accelerate the development of the tourism sectors in both cities.

As part of its digital transformation efforts, Singapore has been supporting its companies across various sectors to build their technology and innovation capabilities.

STB launched the Singapore Tourism Accelerator last year to refine and test-bed innovative solutions that could benefit Singapore’s tourism sector.

The Accelerator has set up a highly selective six-month programme that provides the most promising young technology companies with mentorship and opportunities to pilot their solutions.

Read more here.

From ChannelNewsAsia:

The Monetary Authority of Singapore on 19 November unveiled the 2021 Year of the Ox Chinese Almanac coins, marking the fifth issue in the Singapore Fourth Chinese Almanac Coin Series which began in 2017.

In keeping with the park and natural landscape theme of the coin series, the 2021 coins will feature an ox against a backdrop of Coney Island Park.

This follows on from Kampong Buangkok for the Year of the Rooster, the Singapore Botanic Gardens for the Year of the Dog, Pulau Ubin for the Year of the Boar and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for the Year of the Rat.

The obverse, which is the main face of a coin, will bear the Singapore Coat of Arms and the year 2021.

There are 10 different types of coins, comprising a variety of metallic compositions, shapes and minting relief effects.

Read more here.