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15,000 Aussies score surprise $200 bonus

A man handing out Australian dollar bills. A picture that describes buying, paying, handing out money, or showing money.
Here's what you need to know. Image: Getty. (MultifacetedGirl via Getty Images)

Australians living in the Sunshine State will be eligible for $200 travel vouchers under a new plan from the Queensland government to turbocharge the state’s tourism industry.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland announced the scheme on Sunday, with 15,000 travel vouchers up for grabs.

The vouchers, dubbed the Cairns Holiday Dollars, are eligible for travel in Cairns and the far north Queensland and Great Barrier Reef areas.

The vouchers can be used to claim back 50 per cent of any eligible tourism experience, with travellers able to redeem up to $200.

Experiences included range from bungy jumping to day spa packages, gallery exhibits, scenic flights and wildlife parks.

How to apply for $200 Queensland voucher scheme

Interested Queenslanders can enter the draw to receive a voucher from 8 March to 11 March, with successful recipients able to book experiences with the voucher from 15 March to 25 June, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Twitter.

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“Tourism has taken a hit during the pandemic, and those who depend on international visitors have been doing it particularly tough – especially up north,” she said.

“So if you've ever wanted to visit Tropical North Queensland, now's the time - Queensland is the place to be.”

The Queensland government has previously called on the Federal Government to extend the JobKeeper wage subsidy for struggling Queensland tourism businesses.

As many as 50,000 Queenslanders will lose their jobs due to an extension of the international travel ban, Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles said last week.

“And if you go to places like Cairns, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, that 50,000 jobs lost represents something like 15 or 16 per cent of their pre-COVID employment levels,” he said.

“We can’t afford that and we also can’t afford for those businesses to close who deliver the tourism products that attract people to our state.

“We won’t be able to turn those back on once our airports are open again and once we’re inviting people back from overseas.”

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Image: Yahoo Finance
Image: Yahoo Finance