Local businesses are in the thick of registering their participation in the recently-announced Dine and Discover NSW stimulus package, whereby every NSW resident over 18 years of age is entitled to four $25 vouchers. Two of those vouchers can be redeemed at participating eateries, with the other two to be spent on entertainment.
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The NSW government is set to trial the Dine and Discover vouchers in a small list of local government areas through February, with a statewide rollout tentatively planned for March.
Eligible businesses can sign up for the program now to allow locals to bring their vouchers in later in the year.
The industries that will be able to participate include cafes, restaurants and pubs, arts and entertainment venues, recreational activities, travel agents and tours but not accommodation or alcohol.
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The Tenterfield School of Arts Complex is already signed up, and manager Christine Foster suspects it will be the upcoming Australian films and a visiting musical that will hopefully tempt people back into the theatre.
While museum visitation numbers are up, somewhat surprisingly, cinema attendance is woefully down as people forego their regular movie outing due to COVID concerns.
"People are afraid to come out, and we're not getting the people from across the (Queensland) border and they're a big part of our patronage," Mrs Foster said.
The cinema used to receive a lot of moviegoers from Ballandean and Stanthorpe but despite the 'border bubble' allowing unrestricted travel between the communities, many baulked at the need to obtain a border pass to return home.
She now finds that people will come to the cinema only for specific movies, rather than for their regular night out, and it's the Australian productions which appeal. Slim and I and Rams both contradicted the downward attendance trend, and Mrs Foster has similar high hopes for The Dry and Penguin Bloom screening this month.
Touring live shows are few-and-far between of late, but Margaret Fulton The Musical on April 15 may be just the ticket to redeem one of those $25 vouchers. (Tickets are $30 adult, and $25 concession.)
The Tenterfield Cinema's themed supper clubs of old may get another run, with Mrs Foster considering reaching out to the nearby Courtyard Cafe to package up a dining and entertainment experience to help patrons maximise the value of their Dine and Discover NSW vouchers.
Courtyard Cafe's Amanda Blair is also signing up to be eligible to accept the vouchers, as the business continues to ride the rollercoaster of trading during a pandemic.
"Being here is the key," she said.
The cafe has kept its doors open but embraced a very flexible approach to the way it operates. It has always offered takeaways but Mrs Blair said that side of the business was definitely up, and the menu expanded to offer take-home meals.
She said whether the state government's vouchers will be bring in new business remains to be seen, but she knows her regulars will use it.
"You don't know what people's individual circumstances are," she said.
There may be some $25 voucher deals coming onto the daily specials board, but Mrs Blair said she'll be sure to accommodate patrons who don't spend the face value of the voucher in one purchase as vouchers can only be redeemed once.
Service NSW has begun reaching out to businesses from eligible industries across NSW to encourage them to register for Dine & Discover NSW, a spokesperson said.
"This will be supported by social media and outreach from Service NSW Business Concierges and Regional Business Concierges in the lead-up to the state-wide roll-out," they said.
A Dine & Discover NSW voucher will look like a QR code. Customers may present this to a business as a digital voucher on their smartphone or a printed voucher.
To accept vouchers from customers, businesses will need to use the new Service NSW for Business app and install it on each smartphone or tablet that will scan vouchers at the business.
The voucher is processed once it has been redeemed via the Service NSW for Business app and payments will be received by the business within five days.
