Restaurant owner Jason Kuyltjes will be "the first in line" to register for the NSW government's Out and About voucher scheme if it is extended to the Hunter.
Under the proposed $500 million scheme, a feature of the 2020-21 state budget, anyone over the age of 18 in NSW will receive $100 worth of vouchers to spend at participating hospitality and entertainment businesses.
Four $25 vouchers would be handed out. Two could be spent on food at restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs, while the other two would be spent at cultural institutions, performing arts shows, cinemas and amusement parks.
"That's fantastic," Mr Kuyltjes, who runs Roy's Kitchen on Maitland Road in Mayfield, said. "I think it would get people going out again. It's an obvious incentive.
"We're a fairly newish business since we've reopened. It's a good way to get people to put their heads in."
The government plans to trial the scheme in Sydney next month before likely rolling it out across the state.
Businesses will register to participate via Service NSW, which will distribute the vouchers via its mobile app.
The scheme has been proposed to boost industries disrupted by COVID-19 this year and to keep the economy flowing after Christmas.
Luke Tilse, owner of The Happy Wombat on Hunter Street, said having the vouchers roll out in the new year would be "perfect".
While he said Newcastle was "a bit of a flavour of the month at the moment" with visitors from Sydney and trade was great, the start of the year was traditionally a quiet period for his business.
"It's going to be interesting this school holidays to see if we get flogged from Sydney anyway," Mr Tilse said.
"Normally school holidays ... the businesses on the water, Honeysuckle and the like, are all pretty good, but January is usually a really quiet time for us. January, early February are pretty dead."
Australian Hotels Association regional president Rolly de With said the voucher scheme would allow NSW residents to continue "re-discovering what our industry has to offer, whether that be through holidaying in regional NSW or heading back out within their local area".
"The timing of the initiative ... provides a perfect opportunity for people to shake off 2020 and visit some of our regional pubs, many of which specialise in fresh local produce and have menus that go above and beyond what's thought of as typical pub food," he said.
Similarly, Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association CEO Amy Cooper said wine country restaurants and cafes went through quieter periods of trade over summer as people headed to the coast and the vouchers would potentially help to draw some business back.
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