Hobart’s own food and drink voucher program will return next month, with businesses now invited to sign up to be part of the reinvigorated Passport to Hobart.
Hobart-based businesses that serve food and drinks can apply to the app-based program, which uses digital stamps to reward customers who visit local venues with vouchers to boost their spending.
“The past couple of years have been really tough for Hobart businesses,” Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said. “We’re looking at ways we can encourage people to get out and explore our city’s food scene and support small businesses.
“The voucher program offers an incentive to get out and support our hospitality venues, and Hobart’s broader business community.
“It acts as a form of digital passport. People can dine out and earn rewards, travelling around the great venues we have in our city. It’s a dining adventure that can take in the cultural diversity of Hobart’s wonderful food and beverage scene.
“But before diners can start collecting stamps, we need to establish a register of local venues to be part of the program.”
Macquarie Soul’s Lauren Purtill hopes the program will stimulate more customer activity in the city.
“Certainly January was really tough,” she said. “This month has been better – we’re starting to see a few more tourists around, and more corporate customers.
“Anything that promotes local business and people coming into the city to be able to support hospitality is a great benefit to everyone.”
Up to 75 businesses will be able to participate in the program, which starts on 16 March. Customers will be able to collect a digital stamp each time they spend at least $20 with a participating business.
Just three stamps (previously five) earns a $20 voucher funded by the City of Hobart to spend with any of the participating businesses. A $10 welcome voucher upon signing up to the Passport to Hobart app will help kick-start the culinary journey.
Passport to Hobart was initially launched in January 2021 as a seven-week program that generated at least $90,000 in local spending and the collection of about 2300 passport stamps.
