Talking Point: Tasmanians, hit us up for a holiday

Vouchers encourage you to explore every corner of Tasmania, letting you support businesses and jobs at the same time, says PETER GUTWEIN

GET OUT THERE: Play a round at Barnbougle. Picture: TOURISM TASMANIA

As we near the end of what has been a challenging year for so many of us, Tasmanians are ready for a holiday. While I may be biased, there is no better place than right here in our state to take a break and relax. Our Make Yourself at Home voucher scheme, announced yesterday, makes it easier to do just that.

The $7.5m initiative will run from September 7 to December 1, including the school holidays. Accommodation vouchers will be able to be used for stays from Sunday night to Thursday nights, while the tourism experience vouchers will be able to be used for activities seven days a week. It will benefit tourism businesses across the state and have flow-on benefits to other businesses from people holidaying in local communities, dropping into the local bakery or coffee shop, eating out with their families and of course taking a tour or visiting a local attraction.

Through a new online registration system, which will open at 9am on Monday September 7, Tasmanians can register as a single adult or a couple, or as a family, for accommodation and tourism experience vouchers.

The way it will work is that Tasmanians will pay and undertake their travel activity, then claim the value of their vouchers for eligible accommodation or an eligible tour or experience.

They will be able to do this through providing valid receipts for the eligible travel activity, and will be reimbursed the value of their voucher directly into their nominated bank account.

Importantly, this provides for appropriate checks and balances to be in place.

FRESH VIEW: The West Coast Wilderness Railway.

The options are endless when it comes to what you can use your vouchers for, and even though many Tasmanians think they have seen it all, there is always more to explore.

A single person can register for a $100 voucher towards accommodation and $50 for a tourism experience. If you’re a couple you can register for two $100 vouchers and also two $50 vouchers towards a tourism experience. Family vouchers are available as well, with accommodation vouchers set at $150 for each adult along with $50 experience vouchers for each adult and up to three children under the age of 18.

The tourism experience voucher could be put towards a round of golf at Barnbougle — as a recognised golf tourism destination, or a trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway, Hollybank Wilderness Adventure in the North or Tahune Airwalk in the South.

Once you’ve redeemed your vouchers, you will be able to complete another registration for additional vouchers to do it all again in another corner of our state.

We know 2020 has been a year like no other, and we must provide as much support as we can to assist our state’s social and economic recovery, especially to our tourism and hospitality industry, which has been one of the hardest hit from the necessary restrictions we have had to put in place to protect Tasmanians.

So, I’m encouraging all Tasmanians to get out there, experience what the rest of the world talks about and, in doing so, support our regions, our businesses, families and communities. Together we will rebuild a stronger Tasmania, while also getting a chance to explore world-class attractions and experiences.

Premier Peter Gutwein is Tourism Minister.