Website crashes as people scramble for regional Victoria travel vouchers

The Business Victoria website has crashed as people scramble to nab the first batch of the 40,000 free regional travel vouchers.

A “500 Internal Server Error” message surfaced within 30 seconds when Victorians attempted to log on to the website to snap up the free $200 coupons at 10am today.

There was also no Apply Now button, which is used to get the voucher, at 10.20am.

Once the button became live after 10.30am, Victorians were then hit with an “unable to process request” message.

“Servers are temporarily unable to respond to your request,” the error message read.

“We apologise for the inconvenience.”

Victorians were advised to try again in a “few moments”, before the Apply Now button was temporarily removed to allow people to complete their registration.

“We are currently experiencing a high demand on the website for the Regional Travel Voucher Scheme and have temporarily removed the ‘Apply now’ button,” another message read.

There are 120,000 travel vouchers up for grabs, with 40,000 vouchers available across three separate batches.

People have been urged to get in quick to avoid missing out, the coupons being allocated on a “first come, first serve basis”.

“It is the perfect opportunity to enjoy an extra nights’ accommodation on a weekend getaway or to experience one of our many tours and attractions,” Mr Pakula said.

“A bit more money in people’s pockets means they can see more and do more in regional Victoria – helping local businesses and the people and communities they support to bounce back.”

The vouchers can be used in all of regional Victoria, plus the Yarra Ranges and the Mornington Peninsula, from December 12 until May next year.

In order to be eligible, Victorians must spend $400 or more on accommodation, tourism attractions or tours, and book at least two nights of paid accommodation in the specified periods.

The $28 million scheme is open to Victorian residents aged 18 or over and vouchers are restricted to one per household.

If people are successful, they will receive an acknowledgement of registration within 24 hours.

Successful Victorians will be able to redeem the voucher after their holiday, the coupons acting more so as a ‘reimbursement’ once receipts are provided.

People who have already booked holidays are also eligible to apply, however their travel must be within the scheme dates.

The first round of vouchers, available from today, will cover travel periods from December 12 until January 22.

The second round, available on January 20, will cover travel between January 27 and April 1.

The third round, available on March 30, will apply to travel between April 6 and May 31.

Any vouchers not used in the first two rounds will be added to the third round.