NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian announced a new program yesterday, to assist the struggling accommodation sector in the Harbour City’s CBD.
200,000 accommodation vouchers, valued at $100 each, will be offered to NSW residents for use on weekdays for a Sydney (CBD) stay. The roll out will begin in June 2020, when residents will be invited to apply for one of the vouchers.
“It’s about getting people back in our hotels,” Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said.
“This package is about boosting confidence by supercharging the Sydney economy.”
With JobKeeper ending within days, and the corporate market still seriously down, peak industry body, the Accommodation Association says the measures will help rebuild the domestic corporate and leisure markets and get people back into the heart of Sydney to dine, discover and stay.
The Association represents close to 3,500 hotels, over 150,000 rooms and employed nearly 100,000 people across Australia (this is unfortunately now down to 58,000).
“For Sydney CBD properties where 80% of revenue is from international and corporate markets, today’s announcement could not have come at a better time,” said Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long.
“… the Sydney accommodation market is currently the worst performing city market in Australia with revenue declines of 67%. Sydney’s CBD hotels have a forward booking rate of less than 10% for the next 90 days. We need to do whatever it takes, especially with the imminent end to JobKeeper, to get people back into the heart of Sydney, spending money and having fun.”
“We look forward to these measures resonating with both domestic corporates and the domestic leisure market, building confidence in travel to Sydney, with city hotels significantly impacted by the continued closure of international borders. We also know that by getting Sydney’s heart beating again, there will be flow over benefits for the wider Sydney and NSW market.”
