The SA government's $4-million Great State voucher scheme has been met with an air of positivity, as accommodation operators look to provide customers with incentives to visit.
Launched on Sunday, the COVID-19 stimulus measure has been jointly-developed by the state government and the SA Tourism Commission.
It will provide potential customers with $100 vouchers for use at participating Adelaide hotels, and $50 vouchers to spend in regional accommodation.
Accommodation operators have until this Friday to apply to be part of the scheme.
Businesses with successful applications will then have their deals and vouchers advertised through a central portal on southaustralia.com from October 15-31, or until allocation is exhausted.
Customers who apply through the portal must use the voucher for travel between October 15 and December 11.
After the discounted rate has been paid by the customer, accommodation providers will then be able to claim the rebate from the SA Tourism Commission.
If we subsidise the cost of accommodation (in rural areas), that frees up customer budgets to spend on other tourism or hospitality services while holidaying in the regions.
- IAN HORNE
More than 100 accommodation operators across city and rural areas have signed up to be part of the scheme so far, with an even mix of both rural and urban operators having applied.
Australian Hotels Association SA general manager Ian Horne said city accommodation providers had been "shattered" by COVID-19, while regional operators had fared much better, hence the increased voucher amount for urban businesses.
But he was confident that regional areas would still benefit from the scheme.
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"If we subsidise the cost of accommodation (in rural areas), that frees up customer budgets to spend on other tourism or hospitality services while holidaying in the regions," he said.
Opposition tourism spokesperson Zoe Bettison welcomed the scheme, but criticised the low voucher amounts, with similar schemes launched in Tas ($150) and the NT ($200) having higher dollar values.
- Details: tourism.sa.gov.au
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Claire Harris
Journalist at Stock Journal. Hailing from South East Queensland, Claire moved to SA at the start of 2019. She is passionate about agriculture, cooking, sport, and line dancing, and loves a good long road trip.
Journalist at Stock Journal. Hailing from South East Queensland, Claire moved to SA at the start of 2019. She is passionate about agriculture, cooking, sport, and line dancing, and loves a good long road trip.
