Australian State Announces $50 Vouchers for Millions of Residents to Help Tourism Recovery

Premier of NSW Dominic Perrottet speaks during a press conference in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 18, 2021. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The premier of the Australia state of New South Wales (NSW), Dominic Perrottet, has announced that his state government will give $50 tourism vouchers to millions residents for accommodation at hotel, motels, and caravan parks.

The move will be piloted at the end of the year and comes as part of a $530 million bid to revive events across the state and support tourism to get "back on track” as part of the state’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan.

The NSW government will also invest $60 million in an Aviation Attraction Fund to incentivise international airlines to recommence flights to Sydney.

The move also comes after the state government announced last week that it would scrap quarantine for fully vaccinated international arrivals from Nov. 1.

“Millions of people around the world dream of visiting Sydney and our regional areas. This package not only ensures they can, but that they’ll experience the very best of what we have to offer,” Perrottet said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Importantly, more than 300,000 people rely on our tourism industry and our aim is to reclaim our position as one of the world’s favourite destinations.”

Taking to Twitter, Perrottet wrote that his government was “spreading the love statewide” to help the state’s economic recovery.

NSW Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said the investment will help “revive shuttered businesses.”

“This was a one in one-hundred-year event which severely damaged our tourism industry, operators barely hung in there as they lost bookings, customers and staff, now as we rebuild we can do so with confidence,” Ayres said.

“For our visitor economy to reach its full potential we need event owners to dream big, airlines to fly in and for locals and visitors to embrace our world class venues and hospitality with enthusiasm once again.”

The tourism and events recovery package includes:

• $250 million for the expanded Stay and Rediscover scheme providing a $50 voucher to all NSW adults to redeem at accommodation premises across NSW.
• $150 million to support the recovery of major event activity across the state including $50 million for a Regional Events Package to support major events, festivals, agricultural shows, and community events across the regions.
• $60 million for an Aviation Attraction Fund to incentivise international airlines to recommence flights to Sydney.
• $6 million to bring business events back to the city.
• $50 million for the CBDs Revitalisation Program to support events and activations in central business districts across Greater Sydney and surrounds.
• An Event Saver Fund to provide immediate support to organisers if events are cancelled or disrupted by any public health orders during the 2021-22 summer.
• $25 million for the Festival Relaunch package—to stabilise established commercial and not-for-profit festivals, big and small, so they can program with confidence into 2022 and 2023.
• $10 million for a Recovery Marketing Campaign including an extension of the successful road trips campaign launched in 2020.