The latest round of the popular Regional Travel Voucher Scheme opens on Tuesday, giving 50,000 Victorians the chance to secure a $200 ticket to support trips across the state.
Acting Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Jaala Pulford said the third round of the scheme will build on the success of previous releases, including the most recent when an allocation of 40,000 vouchers was exhausted inside 15 minutes.
“We are thrilled that so many people are able to explore our regional cities, towns, hinterlands, and coastal areas, and that they are voting with their keyboards to secure these sought-after vouchers. The third round of the regional scheme will boost visits for the period straight after Easter, which already looks like a bumper time for people to discover new parts of Victoria,” said Pulford.
The new allocation, to go online at 10 am on 30 March, will bring the total number of vouchers released in the regional and metropolitan travel schemes to 200,000, providing a significant boost to local economies and bolstering employment in vital tourism and hospitality businesses.
Victorians have made 14,000 claims to date for round two travel and preliminary data shows continued enthusiasm for Victoria’s coastal regions – including the Mornington Peninsula, Bass Coast, Surf Coast, East Gippsland and Colac-Otway shires. Vouchers in the second round can be claimed for travel until 1 April.
More than 52,000 vouchers were redeemed in the first round of travel in December and January, with visitors to regional Victoria spending an estimated $85 million at an average of $1,700 per trip. The average length of stay was five nights.
Underlining the ongoing benefits of the scheme, four out of five visitors said that they would want to return again to the region where they had traveled.
This third round of 50,000 vouchers will be redeemable for travel between 6 April and 31 May. Successful applicants will submit a claim for eligible expenses after their travel, ensuring immediate benefits for tourism and accommodation operators across the state.
To qualify for the scheme, you must be a Victorian resident over the age of 18 and spend at least $400 on paid accommodation, experiences, tours,
or attractions in regional Victoria, the Yarra, and Dandenong Ranges, or the Mornington Peninsula.
Vouchers will be limited to one per household for the regional scheme and a minimum two-night stay is required in paid accommodation such as hotels and motels, serviced apartments, caravan parks, camping sites, farm stays, and private holiday rentals.