Aiming to Encourage Domestic Travel, Countries like Slovenia and Tasmania Offer Tourism Credits
In the recent times, tourism credits vouchers have gained popularity among travellers and tourism operators all over the world. In most countries, the vouchers are seen as a great opportunity for travel companies to offer hospitality and attract tourists. Since the world is stuck amidst coronavirus and strict travel restrictions are in place, regions like Singapore, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are using tourism credits to encourage domestic travel.
To support the otherwise battered tourism sector, Singapore’s government has announced plans to give $320 million in “tourism credits” which can be spent domestically. Labelled as SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, these will not only lure travellers but also aid in revenue generation for local businesses.
Announcing the news on Aug 17, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said that this initiative will encourage local spending to Singapore’s shops, hotels, tourist places and famous eateries.
He added, “Many Singaporeans love to travel but are unable to do so now. Local consumption will not fully make up for tourist spending, but I hope Singaporeans will take the opportunity to explore our local culture and heritage, nature, art, and architecture”. Speaking about the initiative, Chairman of the Association of Singapore Attractions — Dr Kevin Cheong said that the usage of these tourism credits should not be limited to offset staycation packages, but be spread to aid smaller businesses across sectors.
Another country trying to kick start the domestic tourism industry via vouchers is Tasmania. For encouraging people to go for a cruise, walk or get an entry into a site like Port Arthur or Tahune Airwalk, the Tasmanian government will give travellers $50. Also, you can get $100 to book a room in a hotel mid-week from September 1 to November end. These tourism credits vouchers will be available to Tasmanians for travelling outside their municipality. Anyone above 18 years of age can avail them. The news has instilled hope for a better future of the hospitality sector.
As per Chief Executive of Tourism Industry Council Tasmania — Luke Martin, “A voucher system targeted towards attractions and tour operators will be very welcome throughout spring”.
While Tasmania and Singapore are new to the concept of vouchers, the Northern Territory has been offering them for internal tourism since July 1. This is a dollar for-dollar scheme wherein you will get $200 for every $200 you spend. What’s better than being able to travel without actually burning a hole in your pocket.
In Europe, Slovenia is offering tourism vouchers to its 2.08 million residents with each adult having EUR 200 and each minor EUR 50 at their disposal to pay for accommodation and food at hotels, camps and other similar facilities. With the help of these tourism credits, one of Slovenia’s prime tourism spots — Gorenjska has been overwhelmed with domestic guests visits. Apart from the areas in Bled where hotels were shut for a long time, the domestic visitors in Slovenia have offset the drop in foreign tourists.
If you put up near any of these places, make sure you don’t miss out on an affordable travel experience with these tourism credits!
