Since almost the very hour that travel restrictions eased and we could once again hop on a flight north, Queenslanders have been out exploring their state again in massive numbers. And now there's even more reasons to do so, 200 reasons.
On Sunday 7 March, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that the state government and Tourism Tropical North Queensland will offer 15,000 vouchers to Queenslanders worth $200 to spend on travel experiences in Cairns and on the Great Barrier Reef. The vouchers go up for grabs on Monday 8 March at 10am, until Thursday 11 March at 11.59pm, in a kind of lottery system—if you score a voucher, you’ll get an email on Monday 15 March notifying you of your success. Then, they can be used up until 25 June, 2021.
So how do the vouchers work? Well, they’ll cover 50% of the cost of an eligible tourism experience, up to the value of $200. Tourism experiences you can use them on include trips to the Great Barrier Reef, guided tours, adventure experiences like bungy jumping, day spa experiences (yes please), scenic flights and entry to wildlife parks, zoos and aquariums.
"The people in the far north, especially in the tourism industry, are doing it tough," the Premier said. "Some of these schemes have worked well in other states, but we believe that this is absolutely what industry spoke to government about. We have listened and today we are delivering."
You can apply for your $200 voucher here. Remember, you can throw your name in the draw from 10am on Monday 8 March to 11.59pm on Thursday 11 March—so tell your friends to get their voucher too.
Here's some tips to help you plan your trip north.
Image credit: Tourism and Events Queensland