Mid North Coast tourism operators say they've been hit by a pre-school holiday rush thanks to a surge in people cashing in their NSW Dine and Discover Vouchers.
The $25 Dine and $25 Discover vouchers were launched in March 2021 to help businesses stay afloat during the COVID 19 epidemic, and are due to expire on June 30.
The voucher scheme has been a saviour for the business, according to Billabong Zoo Mark Stone, owner of Port Macquarie's Billabong Zoo.
He said that at this very moment it is extremely busy and that so many people are racing to use the Dine Discover vouchers.
This incentive has been a huge help to us and was one of the biggest days we've had on Sunday. Tom Major, operations manager at Coffs Coast Mini Golf, has had a similar experience.
He said that it's a significant increase from what we saw at the start of the year because we've had about 220 vouchers used over the last seven days.
I think it was money well spent, because it got people out and about doing things they may not have done if they didn't get the vouchers.
We saw some new faces and I think they came back after they used their vouchers. Stone believes that Dine Discover has helped more than just his business.
He said that it was a great initiative for the mental wellbeing of the general public, because it forced them to go, 'Well, lets get out'.
We have seen families who are maybe doing it tough or tougher who have used the vouchers and come in and had a great time. Stone said he'd like to see the vouchers extended beyond the June 30 deadline.
The state government has ruled out of extending the vouchers.
Coffs Harbour restaurateur Marcus Blackwell agrees that the state government incentive has had a benefit broader than businesses alone.
It was important that people had somewhere to treat themselves, Mr Blackwell said.
There are still a huge amount of Dine and Discovery cash that is yet to be used, despite the last minute rush.
Service NSW said about $16 million worth of vouchers were yet to be redeemed on the Mid North Coast, which is equated to around 40 per cent of the total vouchers issued.
Some may have left their run too late to use their vouchers, but there are ways to extend their life.
A Service NSW spokesman said customers could redeem a Discover Voucher prior to the June 30 deadline and use it for activities scheduled beyond the cut-off date, provided it is booked at the time of redemption.
Dine NSW restaurant bookings can't be pre-booked or pre-booked for dates beyond June 30.