The Reviving International Tourism Grants (RITG) has $9 million of grant funding and is open to tourism exporters (inbound tour operators) and travel wholesalers (outbound tour operators/travel wholesalers). The purpose of this grant is to support travel and tourism businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deadlines and Timings

Applications are now open. Stream 1 will close on 13 June 2023 at 4PM AEST. Stream 2 will close on 04 July 2023 at 4PM AEST

Overview and Grant Amount

The RITG will support international-ready Australian tourism businesses to undertake demand driving activities such as expos, business development and marketing. The key objectives of RITG are to:

• attract and drive visitation from key international markets to Australia, including to regional areas
• aid recovery of the tourism exporters (inbound tour operators) and travel wholesalers (outbound tour operators/travel wholesalers) most significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
• support the diversification of inbound international tourism markets, both from existing and emerging markets

There are two Streams for this grant opportunity.

• Stream 1: Reconnect with international markets ― has grant funding of up to $6m to attend approved events (including trade missions, international expos and conventions) with the goal of helping eligible tourism exporters (inbound tour operators) and travel wholesalers (outbound tour operators/travel wholesalers) attract or reconnect with international markets
• Stream 2: Digital uplift ― has grant funding up to $3m to undertake digital uplift activities including website overhaul/audit, online booking capability, integration and automation of systems, production of brochures, social media modernisation and accessibility upgrades

Eligibility and Criteria

To be eligible for the RITG, applicants must maintain the following minimum eligibility criteria for the duration of the grant and letter of agreement:

• be a legal entity, able to enter into a legally binding agreement with Austrade;
• have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN);
• be registered for the purposes of GST;
• retain the same ownership as at the time of application;
• retain current financial membership of ATEC or CATO;
• continue trading and not be under insolvency administration; and
• comply with all the relevant Australian Taxation Office (ATO) legislation, rulings and guidelines. During the assessment process we may require you to provide evidence that you have satisfied your tax obligations. We will use this information as part of the application assessment.

Note that you cannot access this grant if you receive funding from other government sources, such as the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG).

• However, applicants who have received EMDG previously are eligible for RITG if they are no longer eligible for EMDG due to reaching their EMDG cap.
• Applicants who are currently receiving EMDG are also eligible for the Program provided there is no duplication of funding for the same activity or activities. Austrade may conduct checks on a sample of businesses against current EMDG applicants.

Eligible Projects

The activities and expenditures for which the funding is used must directly contribute to the promotion of Australia overseas and be a direct cost of the activity related to either Stream 1 or Stream 2. Activities and expenditures that have already received funding from other government sources at Commonwealth, State/Territory or local level, including EMDG, are expressly ineligible. All expenditure for Streams 1 and 2 must be completed by 30 June 2024. All grant activity for Streams 1 and 2 must be completed by 31 December 2024.

Stream 1: Reconnect with international markets

• attendance or participation at a pre-approved eligible event
• training activities and costs to develop skills that directly relate to attending or participating in an eligible even
• costs associated with airfares, accommodation, transportation to attend or participate at an eligible event
• costs associated with registration, exhibition and / or entry fees to attend or participate at an eligible event
• costs associated with the production of marketing and promotional material to take to an eligible event
• any other eligible activities and expenditure approved by the Austrade Program Delegate

Stream 2: Digital uplift

• activities and costs for website design, refresh, audit or optimisation;
• activities and costs associated with a search engine optimisation to be more visible to international consumers;
• costs associated with a digital refresh action plan;
• costs associated with updating website or social media targeted to international consumers;
• costs associated with accessibility upgrades (including activities that improve access to information for all users, regardless of physical limitations, disability or age);
• costs associated with integration and automation of internal and external systems;
• introduction (and/or expansion) of online booking capability, e-invoicing and/or payment facilities;
• updating of social media channels;
• any other digital uplift activities and expenditure approved by the Austrade Program Delegate.

Note: Activities and costs for Stream 2 can be incurred in either 2022-23 or 2023-24 financial years, however they must be paid for using a virtual credit card (VCC). There is no ability to make retrospective or reimbursement payments using the VCC. There is no ability to claim expenses for activities that cannot be paid for using the VCC. VCCs are coded to only enable payment for eligible expenses – i.e., you cannot use them like a normal credit card for any type of purchase.

Not all expenditure on the program and projects may be eligible for grant funding.

For more information, interested parties are encouraged to read the program guidelines set by the funding grant. Submissions must be lodged through their online portal.

Expert Assistance

We have over 14 years of experience preparing grants, EMDG and R&D tax incentive claims and can assist in making sure you receive your maximum rebate.

Working with us means you get the maximum grant with minimum risk and effort. Our expertise includes R&D Tax Incentive registration and tax schedules, Export Grants, Capital Expenditure and Infrastructure Grants.

Get in touch with us and let’s discuss this more in detail.

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