More than $1 billion is being spent on discount airline tickets in a bid to save the aviation and tourism sectors when JobKeeper ends.

The federal government is offering 800,000 half-price airline tickets from April 1, as part of the mammoth tourism support scheme.

The cheap flights will be on offer for 13 destinations including the Gold Coast, Cairns, the Whitsundays, Alice Springs, Broome, Kangaroo Island, Launceston, Avalon and Merimbula.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says travel hotspots simply “need more tourists”.

“This is about putting more planes in the air and therefore creating more jobs on the ground,” he told Ross and Russel.

“For every dollar you spend on a ticket on a plane you spend $10 on the ground.”

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