Tasmanians will soon be able to get their hands on $100 travel and dining vouchers, with the state government set to bring back the popular intrastate tourism voucher scheme.
The voucher concept was originally rolled out during the pandemic to support the state’s struggling tourism and hospitality sector, and now Pulse can exclusively reveal a $10 million state government investment will see 100,000 new vouchers made available.
The ‘Eat Local, Stay Local’ voucher program is part of a new $26.5 million tourism and hospitality funding package to boost visitation across the state.
Premier and Tourism Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the package hopes to drive visitation, increase aviation capacity and support the arrival of new Spirit of Tasmania vessels.
“Our package … will benefit Tasmanians directly, but also sends a message to the rest of the country and world that Tasmania is the place to visit,” he told Pulse.
A $6 million subsidy will see reduced fares on the Spirit of Tasmania over peak periods and throughout winter, alongside the addition of more day sailings.
$500,000 will be injected into the Aviation Fund to attract more visitors by supporting new routes and increased frequency on existing routes across the state.
Rockliff said the state government is also planning to work with airports to develop air and car hire packages.
A $5 million Spirit Preparedness Fund will support tourism businesses and councils in preparing for the arrival of the new ferries.
The Spirit Preparedness Fund will encourage the development of new products, enhancing existing attractions and funding council projects like signage and charging stations – all on a 50:50 co-contribution arrangement.
To round out the package, a $5 million Events Tasmania Attraction Fund hopes to secure more events and business events for the state.
“Events like Bicheno Beams and Permission to Trespass have proven hugely successful in drawing visitors to our regions, providing a huge boost to the local tourism and hospitality industries,” Rockliff said.
“We want to see more events like these in all corners of our state and this fund will encourage visitation and support our local communities,” Rockliff said.
A tourism roundtable will meet on November 1 to lock-in timing and provide further details on the initiatives.
The announcement comes as the public release of an expert report on the stalled Devonport berth upgrade nears – with the upgrades crucial to accommodate the new Spirit of Tasmania vessels.
With the first of the new ferries expected to arrive later this year and the second in early 2025, both vessels will be running at reduced capacity for at least a year due to the berth’s unavailability – affecting Tasmania’s tourism numbers.
