Source : Perth Now news
Interstate travellers are being offered $500 to hit the highway for the Red Centre in a push to bring more visitors and spending into Central Australia.
The new Red Centre Drive Voucher campaign will hand 600 interstate visitors a $500 voucher to use on accommodation across the region, including caravan parks, campgrounds, roadhouses and wayside inns.
The offer opened on Saturday through Tourism Central Australia, with vouchers allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The push is aimed squarely at Australians planning a road trip, especially caravanners, campervanners and holiday-makers keen to explore the heart of the country without the experience feeling quite so costly.
Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford said the campaign was designed to help more people make the journey.
“The great Australian road trip is part of the way people have always experienced Central Australia, but we know the cost of getting here can be a barrier,” Mr Rochford said.
“These vouchers are about giving Australians that extra push to get on the road, take their time and experience the Red Centre properly.”
The vouchers can be used with participating accommodation providers for trips taken between October 5 this year and June 30 next year. Registration is open until September 25, with successful applicants to be notified on October 5.
Mr Rochford said the campaign was not just about getting visitors to iconic landmarks but about encouraging them to spend more time and money across the region.
“The journey is every bit as important as the destination,” he said.
“We want visitors stopping at our roadhouses, staying in our caravan parks, campgrounds and wayside inns, spending in regional communities and discovering places they may otherwise have driven straight past.”
The campaign is backed by the Albanese government through a $5 million Red Centre Marketing Boost, part of a broader $8.5m investment in the region’s visitor economy.
That wider package also includes the $1m Alice Springs Revival and Resilience grant program and $2.5m in grants for local tourism operators through the Red Centre Tourism Development Fund.
Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell said the latest push would help direct those benefits straight into the Red Centre.
“This campaign will attract more visitors, boost local spending and ensure the benefits of tourism flow directly to businesses and communities across the Red Centre,” Mr Farrell said.
“Every visitor who stays a little longer, explores a little further, and spends a little more helps strengthen Central Australia’s tourism industry and the communities that rely on it.”
Assistant Tourism Minister Nita Green described the Red Centre as one of the country’s most “recognisable destinations” and said investment in regional tourism helped local communities keep sharing what made the area special.
“These vouchers will encourage more Australians to take the road less travelled, supporting regional communities and creating lasting memories along the way,” Ms Green said.
The drive voucher push follows an earlier Tourism Central Australia campaign launched in July that offered travellers a $750 flight voucher to Alice Springs if they bought a package holiday through NT Now.
