Melbourne to offer free vouchers for all Victorians to eat, sleep and play in CBD

A CBD scheme to rival regional travel vouchers will “bring the buzz back to Melbourne”. And it is all set to kick off next year.

Melbourne City Council has declared “voucher war”, green-lighting a plan to introduce its own scheme to rival the regional travel boost.

After dropping hints last month, councillors unanimously voted for a CBD voucher offer to help boost struggling dining, retail, hotel and entertainment businesses.

Voucher holders will be encouraged to wine and dine, and stay the night in the CBD, where accommodation has seen a 31 per cent drop in bookings compared to this time last year.

How much will be offered is undecided, but the program will kick off early next year and is expected to target visitors from local, regional and interstate areas.

Councillor Le Liu said the city offer would rival the $28 million regional travel vouchers released last week.

“The voucher wars are about to happen … I was very disappointed in the amount of support for inner city but at the same time I recognise that our friends in the regionals do need help as well,” he said.

“I hope we find a more efficient, more savvy solution going forward to that we don’t have to print on paper rather we can go digital and track the data.”

Melbourne City Council is moving forward with a voucher program set to entice Victorian’s back to the city. Picture: David Caird

The council estimates the recession is the worst in more than 100 years, with the CBD experiencing the greatest loss.

Foot traffic is down 65.5 per cent on the same time last year and more than 13 per cent of inner Melbourne jobs have been lost compared to six per cent across the state.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the program would bring visitors back and provide a cash injection into the city.

“We are starting to see people return to the city to take advantage of free parking, our Christmas festival and the unique shopping experiences that Melbourne has to offer,” she said.

“To build on this momentum we’re looking at a voucher program to provide an immediate cash injection to ensure we bring the buzz back to Melbourne.”

The council would take stock of the failings of the state government’s regional travel scheme after the website crashed following the release of a $28 million program last week.

“We’ve been looking at local and international examples where voucher schemes have been used to boost economic recovery,” she said.

“A voucher program could attract visitors from local, regional and interstate to help boost the engine room of our state’s economy.

“The vouchers could give people more reasons to come into the city, which means more cash registers ringing and keeping more Melburnians in jobs.”

The council will work with the state government to explore funding options and introduce the program next year.