Select restaurants will be handing out €15 vouchers to customers who spend their government vouchers there, as part of a new scheme that launches on Thursday.
The new voucher scheme will allow customers to use their red €15 voucher at restaurants forming part of the scheme, and receive another €15 voucher in exchange, to be used specifically at that establishment.
Customers will be offered the equivalent number of vouchers that they have used at that restaurant.
The new voucher scheme was launched by the Association of Catering Establishments, a sectoral lobby group. Forty of the association's 400 members have pushed the incentive, which will be open to all ACE members.
Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said the incentive would complement the current government voucher scheme, which kicked off on Monday for residents who downloaded their €100 consumer vouchers to use at retail and catering establishments.
There are four red vouchers of €15 each to be used in restaurants and tourist establishments and four blue vouchers of €10 each for retail and beauty outlets.
“This scheme will strengthen restaurants that had to adapt during the pandemic and means that families get to spend more time in these restaurants,” Bartolo said.
He did not give details of how many restaurants will be providing the extra €15 voucher.
The incentive is only applicable for local residents eligible for the government vouchers, and not for English Language students who will be entitled to yellow €100 vouchers which can be used in catering establishments.
Bartolo said that the new incentive will encourage Maltese and Gozitan families to spend more in the economy and will invest in the hospitality sector.
“This initiative is a model of how we, as a country, should move forward and work together,” he said.
Restaurants reopened in May with limitations on their opening hours and seating arrangements. As of this week, they can remain open until midnight and seat a maximum of six per table. Bars and kazini have also opened once more.
Speaking at the conference, ACE president Matthew Pace said that the first round of vouchers provided last year generated business and investment for many catering establishments that suffered during the pandemic.
He said that he was positive that the new round of vouchers would encourage domestic tourists to support establishments during this difficult time.
Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said that the new initiative will complement the government vouchers.
Schembri said that he had received positive feedback about voucher uptake since they were launched last Monday and would be providing further figures at a future press conference.