Canberra voucher program aims to reach more businesses

More than 25,000 vouchers were used during a month-long trial of the support package ahead of Christmas last year, with $310,000 of the allocated $500,000 spent.

In total, 336 business registered for the trial, with 206 of those in north Canberra and 130 in south Canberra.

Hospitality was the big beneficiary of the scheme with almost half of all spending going over the counter at cafes and restaurants.

The spend was the lowest in the accommodation sector.

ACT Business Minister Tara Cheyne said the program was primarily targeted at small businesses with an annual turnover under $10 million.

"Many accommodation providers are national or multinational chains, often operating as a single business," Ms Cheyne said.

"Stakeholders have also advised they would find it difficult to undertake real-time redemption as the majority of bookings are made online through distinct e-commerce platforms."

Amid concerns the federal government's discounted flights initiative could negatively affect tourism in the capital, Ms Cheyne said how the vouchers could support tourism operators, including accommodation providers, was being investigated.

She said business owners and consumers could expect increased marketing ahead of the next rollout of the stimulus, in the hope of increasing awareness.

QR codes at venues which would simplify the redemption process were also being considered, Ms Cheyne said.

If implemented, consumers could scan a code to retrieve a discount, rather than putting the onus on the business owner at the counter.

Allocated $2 million in the ACT government budget, the stimulus package was criticised as a "failed scheme" by the Canberra Liberals, who claimed its benefits were not far-reaching enough for Canberra businesses.

Liberal member for Yerrabi Leanne Castley said of the thousands of businesses in her electorate only 24 signed up to the trial last year - proof it was a waste of money.

"Canberra has 30,000 small businesses which all need support yet only 2000 businesses were eligible, Ms Castley said.

The ACT government also received blowback when the Choose CBR website crashed on the day of its launch, preventing people from signing up.

Ms Cheyne said the same thing had happened in most jurisdictions as sites struggled to cope with the initial surge of interest.

Members of the business community have suggested a mobile phone app could make it simpler for customers and encourage more sign-ups.

"The balance we've got to achieve here is the cost and the time of developing an app versus making sure the money is going to businesses," Ms Cheyne said.

READ ALSO:

She said the installation of the map function on the website showing where participating businesses were located had been well received.

"We are looking to increase the number of new customers that would be visiting a business and the feedback has been that it helped," she said.

Canberra Business Chamber represents more than 630 businesses across most sectors in the ACT.

Chief executive Graham Catt said there was evidence a voucher scheme like ChooseCBR provided significant return for businesses.

Mr Catt said broadly his members were in support of the program's return but more work needed to be done in its promotion ahead of the launch.

"The other issue we have had raised from businesses really relates to the complexity of the scheme," Mr Catt said.

"Where we've seen voucher schemes operate in other states and territories it has tended to be a fairly straightforward program.

"Some of the feedback we've received from businesses here is, the number of vouchers and the different amounts of each voucher has made it quite complex for customers and created delays for businesses during busy periods."

Mr Catt said handing out a $50 or $100 travel or accommodation voucher could be worth considering in the future.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: