VACCINE TO BOOST TOURISM VOUCHERS

WITH tourism vouchers being made available from Monday, now is the perfect chance for Territorians to support the tourism industry. Each voucher spent will be a much-needed boost for an industry which has spent the majority of the past two years without even interstate markets.

Sydney and Melbourne being locked out for months this year has been a cruel blow – those two cities represent the bulk of the Territory’s tourism spend. It dashed hopes of a bumper Dry for operators and made tourism dollars from within the Territory just that bit more important.

But we all recognise that Territorians can’t support the entire tourism and hospitality industries by themselves. Now, more than ever, vaccinations are key to allowing borders to reopen so we can allow the New South Wales and Victorian markets to holiday here.

While life won’t go back to as it was before the pandemic, it will allow some level of interstate travel which can start to breathe life back into hospitality and tourism.

Even more importantly, under the NT government’s road map out of Covid-19, lockdowns will likely become a thing of the past for fully-vaccinated Territorians.

That means no more large-scale shutdowns because of single Covid-19 cases in the community.

Only the unvaccinated will be heavily restricted in what they can do, as per the government’s new “lockout” mantra.

That means businesses can stay open, people who have been vaccinated can continue to spend money, and loved ones will be able to fly in and out of the Territory to visit each other. For vaccinated Territorians, this means certainty that the tourism vouchers won’t go to waste. Rather, anyone getting the jab will be free to holiday even if there are active cases in the Territory.

For potential tourists, it means the Territory will be more confident in opening our borders to interstate and international travellers.

It’s just another example of why getting the vaccine is so important. The more people who are vaccinated, the lower the chance that politicians decide to lock everything down.

Driving vaccination rates to high levels gives beleaguered operators in the Territory the best certainty they’ll stay open for all of 2022.

Plus, apparently single Territorians want their love buddies vaccinated before bedtime, too.

There are plenty of reasons why to do it. Now roll up your sleeve.