THE return of the State Government's dining and entertainment program has come at the perfect time for Mildura, where a number of new restaurants having opened their doors and a steady lineup of events is on the way.
The Victorian Dining and Entertainment Program – Eat, Play, Cash Back is now open, following its launch on Monday.
The program allows customers to claim 25 per cent cash back when they spend $40 or more on meals at restaurants, cafes and pubs, tickets to live music or art performances, and entries into museums and galleries.
Mildura Regional Development tourism and marketing manager Sarah Gilmore welcomed the initiative, which follows the first round of the program in March.
"It's great to see that the Victorian Government has released this, especially leading up to the busier months of October, November and December," Ms Gilmore said.
"We'd encourage people to get out and about and to make sure they do that especially leading into October when we have so many events here, and there will be opportunities to claim some cash back."
Upcoming events include the Mildura Wentworth Country Music Festival, which starts this Friday, followed in October by the Cullulleraine Music Festival, SemiArid Sound Festival and Kings of Leon, who will perform at the Mildura Sporting Precinct.
Ms Gilmore said that given the ongoing struggles in the hospitably industry, she hoped the initiative would further encourage locals to get out and support local businesses, particularly those that had recently opened.
"COVID was such a struggle for the region itself and for Australia, and to see new businesses open and take that leap of faith is great," she said.
"Obviously they were planning that when COVID was happening and to still proceed with that was so good to see.
"We can only hope that tourism benefits from that in the region, and we keep seeing it grow over the following months."
The $25 million dollar program is part of the government’s $200 million Victorian Business Stimulus Package that supports local businesses and jobs.
The cashback program runs until December 16, or when funds are exhausted.
Customers can claim up to $125 cash back each and make multiple claims until they reach the cap.
For more information or to make a claim, visit: vic.gov.au/dining-entertainment.
