Tourism Top End backs $5m tourism voucher return, making early bid for Territorians to holiday at home this Christmas

THE returning tourism voucher scheme will again be released in stages as it was during the last wet season. Tourism Top End general manager Glen Hingley is making an early bid for Territorians to stay at home again this Christmas and reap the rewards of the vouchers. The 2021-22 NT Budget this week includes $5m to fund another round of the successful Territory tourism voucher scheme. Mr Hingley said the government initiative had an important role to play in helping the Territory to be considered as a year-round destination. “I’m reaching out to all Territorians to say ‘start planning your Christmas here in Darwin again’,” he said. “You spent Christmas in Darwin last year and across the Top End, you saw what a great place it was, get the mother-in-law booked when the vouchers come online and hopefully you’ll be one of the thousands to get one of those. FULL LIST: When Kakadu’s best waterfalls and walks are forecast to open this dry season Tickets to Darwin Festival’s first 10 shows go on sale Traditional Owners may close popular Kakadu site as court case rages on “Then get out and explore the Territory with one of your visiting friends or relatives. “This is all a very important part of the ongoing marketing process.” Mr Hingley said for too long the Territory had been a destination that was thought about in the dry season and then gone into hibernation “By having this initiative in our wet season enables Territory businesses to invest more, employ more and be able to operate for the year round like any other destination around Australia,” he said. Mr Hingley said the voucher initiative last year kept locals exploring their backyard. “We had a pent up demand and right now we have people up here in abundance,” he said. “We know at some stage people are going to be able to travel overseas, so vouchers is a really creative and proven way to keep Territorians here.” Tourism Minister Natasha Fyles said figures up to May 4 revealed round three of the tourism vouchers scheme generated more than $9.47m in gross sales with Territorians redeeming 24,500 vouchers. “The previous three rounds of the voucher scheme generated $26.7m in gross sales for businesses,” she said.