South Australians are being urged to save this Friday, May 28 in their calendars, with the much-anticipated ballot to open for the fourth round of the Marshall Liberal Government's Great State Voucher Scheme.
The ballot will 'open the door' to more hotel rooms across more of South Australia this winter, including special rates for mid-week stays in the CBD.
Lucky recipients will score a $100 voucher for use on participating CBD and North Adelaide Hotel or a $50 voucher for use across suburban and regional SA.
Premier Steven Marshall said round four of the Great State Voucher Scheme would be a much-needed shot-in-the-arm for our CBD hotels, pubs, clubs and restaurants and businesses, helping to create and sustain jobs across the entire state.
"We've seen the data – during the travel period of the last round of accommodation vouchers, regional South Australia had its best occupancy rates for a three-month period ever recorded and CBD hotels hit the highest occupancy of any mainland Australian city," Premier Marshall said.
"These vouchers stimulate travel, they get South Australians and interstate visitors booking overnight stays in our great state, and they sustain and create jobs in our visitor economy.
"As we head into the winter months, this is even more important and that's why we're offering more than 50,000 vouchers – made all the more easy to access thanks to a randomised ballot, which we used successfully in round three of the voucher scheme.
"The ballot has proved to be a quick, simple and fair process for distributing tens of thousands of vouchers to get people booking and spending up with South Australian businesses.
"It's simple, easy and I encourage all eligible South Australians to jump online and register for a Great State Voucher – and then book a SA getaway this winter."
South Australian Tourism Commission chief executive Rodney Harrex said the feedback from industry about the value of this targeted stimulus program "speaks for itself".
"The Great State Vouchers inject visitors and dollars directly into South Australian businesses. They get people off the couch, booking an overnight stay – or as we've seen recently, a tour or experience – and they get people spending at cafes, restaurants, bars, wineries and going to events," he said.
"The SATC worked with participating operators following the last two rounds for accommodation, seeking to continuously evolve and improve the program, and we're thrilled to be delivering a range of efficiencies for this round which will streamline the process for both operators and consumers.
"New 'mid-week stays' will attract visitors into the city from Sunday to Thursday, helping inject spending where it's needed most, and the new booking portal will mean consumers will be able to view availability and manage their booking all in the one place.
"With a new major annual event, Illuminate Adelaide, coinciding with this travel period and many people already out enjoying a tour or experience with a Great State Experiences Voucher, there's never been a better time to see South Australia."
The luxury Eos by SkyCity hotel in Adelaide's riverbank precinct – which was part of the first two rounds of the voucher scheme – will offer a special mid-week rate to further entice guests.
Eos by SkyCity General Manager, Jodi Brown said: "We've been thrilled with the results the Great State Voucher program has delivered to Eos by SkyCity, as well as the flow on impact to our broader property offerings such as restaurants, bars and Eos Spa + Wellness.
"We have seen incredible occupancy rates at Eos, which has resulted in further staff recruitment and a demand for more local hospitality supplies," she said.
Eligible consumers can enter the ballot at southaustralia.com/voucher anytime from 9am ACST Friday 28 May until 5pm ACST Tuesday 1 June 2021.
All entrants will be notified on Wednesday 2 June whether they have been successful or not, and can book from 2 June to 30 June, for travel from 2 June to 31 August 2021 (excluding Saturday nights).
Eligibility is open to all Australians over the age of 18. Terms and conditions apply.
More information: www.southaustralia.com/voucher
