How to get $200 voucher for Queensland travel

The website for the State Government’s tourism voucher scheme for Queensland’s far north experienced a second small glitch after it temporarily crashed amid the rush of interested travellers.

The State Government’s tourism voucher scheme has hit another small hurdle, with an administrative issue that seemingly allowed only those born after 1980 to register.

The date of birth drop-down menu initially allows applicants to only select a year between 2000 and 1980.

If users then select 1980, applicants then have the option to go further back to find their year of birth.

Comments on social media yesterday reflected the confusion and frustration of some users who believed they couldn’t register.

“Will be very disappointed if I miss out because of this,” one woman wrote.

Others commented explaining how to overcome the issue.

Despite the glitch, registrations for the new Great Barrier Reef travel promotion have now reached over 76,000, with just over 48 hours left to enter.

The State Government’s push to promote the Far North with 15,000 travel vouchers worth up to $200 sparked a frenzy on the initiative’s website, which buckled under the intense interest.

At one point more than 300 people were applying for the vouchers every minute.

From midday today, Queenslanders were able to enter a lottery to win holiday vouchers worth up to $200 for travel experiences across the state’s tropical north.

The 15,000 travel vouchers will give successful recipients a 50 per cent discount on eligible tourism attractions across the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas and Cairns, to the value of $200.

Soon after the offer launched at noon the main Queensland.com homepage crashed, presumably due to overwhelming demand, but was soon operational again.

WHERE $200 VOUCHERS COULD GO NEXT

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said 43,000 people had registered for the vouchers by 5pm.

Residents have until Thursday to register at holidaydollars.queensland.com.

To be eligible, applicants must be over 18, with one entry per person permitted.

Annastacia Palaszczuk says the voucher system could help provide a significant boost to the far north Queensland economy. Picture: Peter Wallis

Winners will receive a text message and email with the Cairns Holiday Dollars voucher to redeem at participating tourism operators.

Successful applicants will be able to book tourism experiences with their voucher from 15 March to 25 June.

A list of participating operators can be viewed here.

The Cairns Holiday Dollars vouchers initiative, announced yesterday, is an incentive to encourage Queenslanders to discover Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

The move is expected to generate an extra $14 million in visitor spending for the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef economy at a time when operators are crying out for help after a year of decimated visitor numbers and the looming end of the JobKeeper support program.

The scheme is similar to ventures introduced in some other states, including New South Wales’ initiative that gives $100 per person for activities including meals, movies, and zoo visits across parts of the state.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the extraordinary measure had the potential to provide a significant boost for the region’s economy, which is more dependant on tourism than anywhere else in the state.

“It’s the first time in Queensland that a government has offered vouchers to bolster and support the tourism industry,” she said.