New rounds of regional travel vouchers and the 'Melbourne Money' scheme will be rolled out in a bid to support businesses still struggling due to the pandemic.
The Victorian government today announced a further $200 million to support businesses and industries affected by COVID-19.
The state on Monday reported three more COVID-19 deaths and the number of people in hospital after contracting the virus now sits at 361, up from the 358 announced yesterday.
Of those patients, 49 are intensive care units and 11 are receiving ventilation.
The state recorded another 5,611 new COVID-19 cases yesterday.
That total is made up of 1,507 positive PCR tests and 4,104 rapid antigen test results.
It brings the number of officially reported active infections to 45,278, down from 46,703 recorded on Sunday.
About 55 per cent of Victorians aged 18 and above have had a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
More support for businesses affected by the pandemic
The support package includes an extension of the Melbourne Money program, which offers a rebate to people who spend money in the CBD.
Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Martin Pakula, said $10 million will be allocated to that scheme.
"This time around it will be a 25 per cent rebate with a minimum spend of $40 and a maximum of $500, so the maximum rebate will be $125, the minimum will be $10," he said.
"And that'll be for dining between Mondays and Thursdays right across Victoria, outside the CBD."
There will also be a new round of Victorian travel vouchers, worth $30 million, to encourage people to holiday in regional Victoria.
A rebate of $200 will be available for voucher holders who spend at least $400 in regional Victoria.
A new $30 million entertainment voucher scheme will also be set up to offer rebates for tickets to theatres, museums, galleries and other events.
Businesses would also be able to tap into a $60 million ventilation fund to make venues more COVID-safe.
Mr Pakula said the voucher programs would begin to be offered online from early next month.
Melbourne welcomes vaccinated international tourists
Victoria's peak tourism body says it is not expecting an immediate recovery for the tourism sector despite the return of international visitors today.
International tourists who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are now being welcomed back to Australia without having to go into quarantine.
More than 50 international flights will arrive today, but the chief executive of Victoria's Tourism Industry Council, Felicia Mariani, said it was not an instant fix.
"It's not like the borders have come down and we're allowed to travel outside of Melbourne and everybody ran to regional Victoria. It will take longer for these markets to recover," she said.
"International does not convert at the same pace or scale that we see domestic tourism so it will be a bit of a slow burn."
Ms Mariani said tourism operators were hopeful visitors from near neighbours such as New Zealand would return quickly, but tourists from the US and Europe may wait until the northern hemisphere's summer holidays.
"There's no feeling we're just going to have this surge of international visitors back in the next couple of weeks," she said.
For the past two years, travel company Autopia Tours' fleet of more than three dozen buses has sat idle.
An estimated 90 per cent of the company's revenue had previously come from international tourists.
CEO Paul Beames welcomed the reopening of borders to overseas visitors but said his business would not be able to reopen fully until next summer.
"When you're operating at 10, 20, 30 per cent capacity, it's not a viable operation," Mr Beames said.
"We've certainly haemorrhaged enough over the last 700 odd days that we can't take that sort of risk."
Mr Beames said he could not foresee the company operating at pre-COVID levels until mid-2024.
Not everybody is delighted about vaccinated international travellers being allowed back into Australia without having to quarantine.
Melbourne man Paul Sor said he had not been able to see his mother in Western Australia for nine months.
Mr Sor said the last time he visited his mother he had to complete two weeks of hotel quarantine in Adelaide and then was told when he landed in Perth that he had to do another two weeks.
"Absolutely gutted that people can come in with two shots, yet I can't go visit my mum in Western Australia unless I've got a booster. The inconsistency is just bizarre," he said.
