MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands extends tourism recovery incentive for a second season

Users rated their experience of the first TRIP scheme as being 9.5 out of 10, while the broader impact on the sector was 8 out of 10 (Pic Volunteer Point by Derek Pettersson )

Following the success of the initial Tourism Recovery Incentive Program – or ‘TRIP’ – which was designed to support tourism-related businesses and stimulate economic growth across the Islands during 2020/21, the Falklands Islands government announced that the scheme will run again this year.

TRIP2 will be open to everyone ordinarily resident in the Falkland Islands; it will begin on 1 October 2021 and end on 30 April 2022. A BFSAI TRIP2 scheme will also be in place for the same duration.

Feedback from households and registered businesses has been factored into plans for the renewed program to improve the offering and simplify administrative processes. The changes to the new schemes are as follows:

• Households will be able to pool their retail and food voucher allowances under TRIP2 to make reclaiming receipts more straightforward

• Reimbursement for meals taken by a group of people dining together can now be made to single individuals under TRIP 2, rather than having to be split between individual voucher holders

• BFSAI TRIP2 will be amended so that vouchers can also be used for meals and accommodation, at the 50% redemption level, in addition to being used for experiences at a 100% redemption level – this applies to registered providers outside of MPC

• The 50% Concordia Bay ferry subsidy will be cancelled, due to minimal previous uptake

• The FIGAS flight discount will be offered at a 50% rate from Monday-Thursday and at a 25% rate from Friday-Sunday to encourage more people to travel off-peak and help regulate the service

The feedback also showed that, on average, users rated their experience of the first TRIP scheme as being 9.5 out of 10, with providers rating the impact of TRIP on their businesses as 5 out of 10, while the broader impact on the sector was 8 out of 10. 77% of people found it easy to access information online; 91% were satisfied with the booking process and 87% were satisfied with reimbursements.

Once again, residents will be able to apply for the scheme by completing a registration form; a single registration form may be completed for all eligible people within a single household. Registration will be confirmed within two weeks to allow for processing and eligibility checks by the government.

Once registered, eligible adults will be entitled to a £500 digital voucher and eligible children to a £250 voucher to be spent on tourism accommodation, hospitality and experiences, provided by registered businesses.

TRIP2 will be administered again by International Tours & Travel and full detail will be available on their websitewww.falklandislands.travel or by calling 22041.

The Falkland Islands Government website also has the latest information on the scheme, please visit https://www.fig.gov.fk/covid-19/