Status: Open
Overview
The Australian Government is offering Reviving International Tourism Grants (RITG) 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.
The RITG program has $9 million of grant funding. Payment of grants will occur over 2 years.
RITG will fund:
- attendance to expos and conferences
- business development activities
- marketing activities to attract tourism from international markets.
How the program works
The RITG program aligns with the Australian Government's work on building markets and attracting visitors. It supports key priorities from THRIVE 2030, the national long-term tourism strategy.
Austrade will administer the program over 2 financial years (2022–23 and 2023–24). The RITG program is split into 2 streams:
- Stream 1: Reconnect with international markets
- Stream 2: Digital uplift
Stream 1: Reconnect with international markets
Program summary
RITG Stream 1 funding is available to eligible tourism exporters (inbound tour operators) and travel wholesalers (outbound tour operators/travel wholesalers). They must have attended specific qualifying events to attract or reconnect with international markets.
Eligible applicants must be financial members of or supported by ATEC or CATO.
Program dates
Applications:
- open: 10am AEST, 23 May 2023
- close: 4pm AEST, 13 June 2023
How to apply
To apply for these grants, applicants must register and create a user profile on SmartyGrants. Apply for Austrade's RITG funding on SmartyGrants.
Guidelines
Download Reviving International Tourism Grants Guidelines (DOCX 1.08MB)
2022-23 Grants
Successful applications will receive the following grant amounts:
- ATEC member applicants: $15,000
- CATO member applicants: $10,000
- Other eligible applicants: $10,000
2023-24 Grants
Stream 1 grantees will automatically receive a second round of funding if unspent grant funds remain at the end of the 2022–23 financial year. Austrade will advise grantees if this occurs.
Grantees who receive funding in both 2022–23 and 2023–24 may use these funds to attend the same eligible event.
Eligibility
Applicants for RITG Stream 1 must be:
- a current financial member of ATEC or CATO since April 2023, and
- an Australian tourism exporter (inbound tour operator), or
- a travel wholesaler (outbound tour operator/travel wholesaler).
In addition, applicants must have:
- total turnover that is less than $20 million in the year preceding the application, and
- no outstanding tax debts, obligations or have an agreed payment plan in place with the Australian Taxation Office.
Applicants must also have attended one of the following events:
- Tourism Australia's Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) or Marketplace events (UK, SEA, India, USA, or Japan) between 2017 and 2019, or in 2022 as a seller
- ATEC's Meeting Place between 2017 and 2019, or in 2022 as a buyer
- ATEC regional B2B trade event between 2017 and 2019 or in 2022 as a buyer, or
- any of the following events between 2017 and 2019 or 2022:
- International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Asia or China as a buyer or seller
- World Travel Market (WTM) in London, Asia, India, or China
- International Luxury Travel Mart (ILTM) in Singapore or Cannes
- PURE in Morocco
- Travel Indaba in Africa, or
- any other event approved by Austrade and agreed to by ATEC or CATO (please seek approval before applying).
Austrade will accept one application per business (with a registered Australian Business Number).
Non-ATEC and/or non-CATO members
Non-ATEC and/or non-CATO members are welcome to apply by following these steps:
- Seek endorsement to apply for RITG Stream 1 from ATEC or CATO.
- Following ATEC or CATO endorsement, contact Austrade’s Program Delegate at RITGrant@austrade.gov.au requesting approval to apply.
- Following approval, send your application through SmartyGrants before applications close.
Stream 2: Digital uplift
Program summary
RITG Stream 2 funding is available to eligible Australian tourism businesses to launch digital uplift activities.
Important dates
Applications:
- open: 10am AEST, 23 May 2023
- close: 4pm AEST, 4 July 2023
How to apply
Applicants in Stream 1 will automatically enter Stream 2 program unless they chose to opt out.
Applicants may also choose to apply for Stream 2 only.
Guidelines
Download Reviving International Tourism Grants Guidelines (DOCX 1.08MB)
Grant amounts
Successful applicants for RITG Stream 2 will receive a one-off payment of $2,000.
Eligibility
Applicants for RITG Stream 2 must:
- have attended Tourism Australia's Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) or Marketplace events (UK, SEA, India, USA, or Japan) between 2017 and 2019, or in 2022 as a seller
or
- hold a current financial membership with ATEC or CATO since April 2023.
They must also have:
- total turnover of less than $20 million in the year preceding the application
- no outstanding tax debts, obligations or have an agreed payment plan in place with the Australian Taxation Office.
Austrade will accept one application per business (with a registered Australian Business Number).
Payment of grants
Successful applicants of both RITG Stream 1 and 2 will be given a 16-digit virtual credit card (VCC) to pay grant expenses. This allows Austrade to monitor expenditure and acquit grant funding. Grantees may need to produce invoices to support their expenditure.
Using the VCC
To make a transaction, grantees should enter the 16-digit number on an online merchant's website.
Please note the following conditions of RITG program expenditure:
- The use of VCCs is limited to specific merchant codes that align with the grant program's eligible activities.
- Grant payments cannot be made using bank transfer.
- Reimbursement of paid invoices is not permitted.
- Keep your card details secure - anyone who has access to these details can spend your grant funds.
A separate VCC will be issued for each RITG Stream, even if a grantee is successful for both Stream 1 and Stream 2. If a second payment is made in 2023–2024 for Stream 1, funds will automatically be credited to the existing Stream 1 VCC.
All RITG VCC will be de-activated on 1 July 2024 and any unspent grant funding will be forfeited.
Successful applicants must spend all grant funding by 30 June 2024. This may include allocating grant funding towards eligible activities up to 31 December 2024. All grant activities must conclude by 31 December 2024.
More information
Email: RITGrant@austrade.gov.au