About a third of Tasmania’s travel vouchers redeemed with a month left to go

With the scheme ending this month, will all of Tasmania’s Make Yourself at Home travel vouchers be redeemed?

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JUST a third of Tasmania’s travel vouchers have been redeemed with less than a month until the scheme comes to an end.

Premier Peter Gutwein said 12,524, or about 30 per cent, of the state government’s Make Yourself at Home travel vouchers had been redeemed so far.

More than 41,500 vouchers — worth $12.5 million — were excitedly snapped up by Tasmanians when the scheme was first announced.

However it’s yet to be seen if all Tasmanians to successfully nab a voucher will end up claiming them.

After battling bushfires and floods over the past few years, Aardvark Adventures operator Phil Harris said things had been tough for the business even without COVID.

Aardvark Adventure Tours owner Phil Harris running a tour on Mt Wellington. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Though the state government’s travel voucher scheme was aimed at boosting tourism, Mr Harris said he was unaware of any Tasmanians using theirs with Aardvark Adventures for experiences such as rafting or abseiling.

Instead, things that kept the business afloat were JobKeeper, the state government’s school excursion voucher scheme, and a simple phone call from a well-known Hobartian.

“JobKeeper has been fantastic, because we could actually stay in business. We’ve still got bills to pay, insurance, rent,” he said.

“My passion is providing a great experience for people, whether that’s school groups, corporate groups, or individuals.

“Going from having so much booked in to nothing was hard work, and we struggled quite a bit.”

He said a phone call from the Tasmanian Hospitality Association’s Dave Noonan helped lift his spirits.

“It was so nice to just have a chat to someone. I have a lot of respect for Dave so it was great to have someone take some time out of their day to check in. It meant a lot.”

Aardvark Adventure Tours owner Phil Harris running a tour on Mt Wellington. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

He said some schools had taken advantage of the state government’s school excursion voucher scheme by embarking on adventures with their students.

He had also seen interest from Tasmanian businesses and organisations for Aardvark to host some end of year events.

Though the borders are now open to most states, he had not seen much interest from mainlanders at this stage.

Mr Gutwein said Tasmanians had supported the travel vouchers “in droves” with the scheme generating significant additional economic activity across the state.

“Following the conclusion of the voucher program and finalisation of all payments during January 2021 we will assess the situation at the time including any need for further assistance,” he said.

Mr Gutwein said there was plenty of time left for voucher redemption before the end of the month.

Labor leader Rebecca White has called for the vouchers scheme to be extended to include cafes and restaurants.

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