Stimulus vouchers are now available at more times and more places, as the Dine and Discover program expands in scope throughout Wagga.
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The four $25 vouchers, two Dine and two Discover, can now both be cashed in seven days a week. Initially, the dining voucher was only able to be used from Monday to Thursday.
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The vouchers expire on June 30, but the Discover option can be used to book tickets now for an event after that date.
The Discover vouchers are now available at more entertainment venues, after only two Wagga businesses were listed as eligible locations when the program launched.
Wagga residents over the age of 18 can now spend their two Discover vouchers at Laser Tag Wagga, Wagga Bowling and Entertainment Centre, Forum 6 Cinemas, and Wagga Civic Theatre.
Civic Theatre manager Carissa Campbell said they have had a busy few weeks this month, and had become even busier since the advent of the vouchers.
"People are getting their vouchers and running through the door and wanting to know what we've got on. It's great - we've done a few hundred so far," Ms Campbell said. "It's actually been full on the last few weeks. People are realising they can go out, and the vouchers are making people get off the couch and go do it. We're happy to seem them."
The Gardens Cafe owner Brent Carstell became eligible to accept the Dine vouchers on Thursday, and is waiting for customers to come and cash them in.
Mr Carstell said he was happy to see the vouchers made available over the weekend, which is when the biggest cohort of visitors come to the Botanic Gardens.
"A lot of people were still under the impression it was under Monday to Thursday, but then they changed the rules to seven days per week, which is good," he said.
"We've been pretty privileged to have some really nice weather so far, and with COVID restrictions easing and the implementation of these vouchers we're expecting a big increase in foot traffic coming up."
Regional Development Australia's Riverina chief executive Rachel Whiting said the program was a good boost for local businesses, but that a shortage of workers continued to pose a challenge to the industry.
"Anything that means more people spending more money in our regional communities is fabulous. However, my understanding is hospitality and tourism businesses in our region are finding it difficult to get staff," Ms Whiting said.
"While I'm sure they're all happy to have people spend more money, the challenge is finding the staff to grow their business and meet demand."
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