More ‘Great State’ discount accommodation vouchers being released on January 5, 2021

Get ready for a second round of the Great State discount tourism voucher offer, after the first one was fully booked in 90 minutes.

A second round of State Government-funded accommodation vouchers will be offered from next month, featuring more operators and giving guests more time to book.

The first round of Great State vouchers – launched in October with discounts of up to $100 – led to an avalanche of applications and were fully booked within 90 minutes.

The program triggered an estimated $10m in spending across the state but sparked criticism because it was limited to larger accommodation venues and did not extend to tours and other tourism-related products.

There was also concern about the time frame to book, which meant not all the 50,000 vouchers in the $4m scheme were redeemed by the deadline.

The new $2m round, which is largely funded by the leftover money, will include venues with five rooms or more, rather than 10 rooms in the first round. Interstate visitors can also apply for a voucher.

Online applications open on January 5. The booking period will run from January 7-31, for travel from January 7 to March 31, excluding Saturday nights. Premier Steven Marshall said the first round generated tens of thousands of room night bookings and supported tourism jobs.

“We know the summer holidays are traditionally a peak period for our tourism operators, and we are acting now to give travellers another incentive to visit our world-class regions and CBD,” he said.

“With more choice for consumers in the second round about when and where to travel, this is exactly the boost our state’s visitor economy needs as it navigates the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Thomas Zinn, General Manager of the new Hotel Indigo which is one of the participating venues of the new voucher scheme. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Properties in the scheme will include new hotels such as the Majestic M Suites, in North Adelaide, and EOS by SkyCity, Tom’s Court Hotel and Hotel Indigo in the CBD.

Thomas Zinn, general manager of Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets, said the brand was excited to launch its first Australian property in the Gouger Street precinct in February. “The launch of the Great State voucher program has been a tremendous buoy for SA’s travel industry,” he said. “The volume of uptake is a promising indicator of South Australians’ enthusiasm to get out and explore their backyard.”

Tourism Industry Council of SA chief executive Shaun de Bruyn welcomed the second round, saying the scheme had made a big difference to the businesses involved.

“We wrote to the Premier asking for it to be expanded to operators with less than 10 rooms, so it is good that has happened,” he said. “We also asked for it to be expanded to tour and attraction operators as they have been some of the most heavily impacted.”

Apply at southaustralia.com/voucher from January 5