Overview
New South Wales residents, it's holiday time. After a year largely spent staring at your own four walls, you probably don't need much motivation to head absolutely anywhere else, but the State Government is giving you some anyway. In an effort to encourage everyone to take a staycation, it's handing out $100 vouchers for accommodation in the Sydney CBD — to the tune of $20 million all up.
The idea has two obvious aims: enticing folks in NSW to go venturing throughout the city, and helping support local businesses. Following similar moves in Victoria and Queensland over the past few months, the plan was announced today, Thursday, March 25, by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, as part of a broader tourism and events support package.
A hefty 200,000 vouchers will be available, all worth $100 — and all to be used in Sydney's inner city. They'll be put up for grabs on a first come, first served basis, which is expected to happen around June (when things are usually a bit quieter, tourism-wise, and also when Sydney's new winter festival is slated to happen).
Details are scarce for now otherwise, though. The government has revealed that you'll only be able to use the vouchers at registered accommodation providers, with a callout due to be put out to businesses in the coming weeks. That's when folks keen on a night in a hotel — and taking advantage of the state's soon-to-kick-in eased restrictions while spending time in the city — will learn how they can get their hands on the $100 vouchers, and exactly when they'll become available as well.
"With international, interstate and business travellers virtually non-existent for the past year, the CBD, and in particular the accommodation industry, has done it tough," the Premier said. "This new program will be in addition to our other stimulus measures such as the Dine & Discover scheme, and will provide a boost to accommodation providers in what is a traditionally very quiet period."
Premier Berejiklian also announced a number of measures to help the tourism, live music and events sectors — again, in broad strokes, with the minutiae set to be revealed at a later date. $24 million has been earmarked for tourism agency Destination NSW to administer a live music support package with Create NSW and the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, $5.5 million is going to a business events industry support package to help businesses in Greater Sydney and across NSW, and $2 million will be put into a tourism industry marketing support package through the Love NSW campaign.
For more information about the $100 accommodation vouchers and the NSW Government's new tourism, live music and events support measures, head to the government's website. We'll update you with further dates and details when they're announced.