• On Sunday, Hobart was added to the government’s list of travel destinations for half-price flights set to run from April to July 2021.
• It joins additional flights to Townsville, Darwin and Adelaide following criticism of the government’s $1.2 billion tourism package.
• The Morrison government is defending the package but on Sunday conceded the 800,000 ticket cap could be lifted.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

Hobart has been added to the government’s list of travel destinations for half-price flights, with the suggestion the cap of 800,000 tickets could also be lifted.

While 13 destinations were included in the initial announcement on Thursday, since then Townsville, Darwin and Adelaide have joined the list, with Hobart added on Sunday.

The additional flight routes come as the Morrison government faced further criticism of the $1.2 billion tourism package, including from tourism and hospitality groups who say they’ve been left out.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told ABC’s “Insiders” program on Sunday that the rescue package for the tourism sector could grow further, and noted that the government’s focus had always been on temporary, scalable solutions.

“We’ve increased our spend all the way through,” he said, adding that the government’s international investment commission had identified locations across the country hardest hit by the fall in international tourism.

“It’s a question of Austrade identifying those areas which normally at this time would be awash with international tourists,” McCormack said.

Tourism operators greeted the news with enthusiasm — Henry Ellis, managing director of Hobart-based scenic flight operator Above and Beyond Tasmania said it was a great result for regional tourism operators in the state.

“This one of those government assistance programs that’s going to greatly benefit tourism businesses, especially in regional areas,” Ellis said.

“Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie are the primary ports connecting Tasmania to the mainland, so having all four supported is a fantastic outcome for the state.”

‘We would have preferred JobKeeper 3.0’

The package continued to face criticism over the weekend, following claims from tourism operators and the travel industry at large that the package favours airlines over tourism destinations decimated by the pandemic.

The government received criticism last week from the The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA), and the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association of Australia (RCA), along with Labor and unions.

“We would have preferred JobKeeper 3.0 to help us over the next six months,” Cairns Chamber of Commerce president Sally Mlikota told 10 News.

A major sticking point is the injection of stimulus for Australian airlines Qantas and Virgin, who will be receiving payments for assurances they won’t axe 8,600 jobs.

McCormack revealed on “Insiders” that the “retention payments” to both airlines will be made between April 1 and October 31, and valued at $200 million.

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