The New South Wales government is showering its citizens with gifts as it looks to fully reopen the state and get the economy back on track.
Just last week, we saw the announcement of a further two dine and discover vouchers for NSW residents and this week, the state has announced that they will be giving away $50 tourism vouchers to all adults in NSW to be spent on accommodation.
The ‘Stay & Rediscover’ vouchers are part of a $530 million package aimed at reviving events across the state and can be spent on hotels, caravan parks, and campgrounds.
The programme will begin with a pilot scheme in November and a full state rollout is expected in March.
🔹First look
You may have heard that all NSW residents will receive a $50 ‘Stay and Rediscover’ accommodation voucher in their Service NSW app.This is what the voucher will look like.
The NSW government will pilot the vouchers in November with a state rollout in March 2022. pic.twitter.com/9uhM0XvE3O— Victor Dominello MP (@VictorDominello) October 19, 2021
While there are few details over exactly how to claim the vouchers, it’s likely that they will be accessed in a similar way to the dine and discover vouchers. Those are able to be claimed through the Service NSW website and Service NSW app.
When the scheme goes live, it’s a good idea to check those places to see if you’re part of the trial, otherwise, you’ll have to wait until March to access them.
Along with the $250 million expansion of the stay & rediscover scheme, NSW is also providing $150 million to support the recovery of major events across the state.
This includes $50 million for regional events like festivals and agriculture shows as well as $6 million in funding to support metropolitan events.
The Sydney CBD is getting a $50 million revitalisation package as part of the investment scheme and $60 million is being spent to incentivise international airlines to return quickly to service Sydney airport.
$25 million will also be spent to relaunch and support music festivals throughout 2022 and 2023.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said that the package would bring back tourists and supercharge the entertainment economy.
“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,” he said.
Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said the much-needed investment will help revive shuttered businesses and bring tourism providers back to their vibrant best.
“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,” Mr 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.”
Treasurer Matt Kean said getting tourism back on track and reviving the visitor economy is key to our economic recovery.
“We know NSW is the best place to live, work, learn and play, but this is about bringing visitors back, boosting business and serving up the best of what NSW has to offer to the world,” Mr Kean said.
“We want to support citizens to get out and explore their own backyard, give our events sector the confidence to get back to business and send the signal to the airline industry that NSW is and always will be Australia’s gateway to the world.”
24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said the lights of our cities have been dimmed for too long.
“Whether you are heading back to the office, in town for a show or a game, or meeting some friends for an alfresco drink, we want to make going into city centres a magical experience,” he said.
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