The huge number of Victorian travel vouchers which have gone unused.

Almost $17 million dollars worth of travel vouchers issued by the state government to help tourism operators cope with the pandemic downturn have gone unused.

There’s always plenty of competition to snap up the $200 vouchers, with allocations often exhausted within minutes of going live.

But of the 200,000 vouchers handed out in the previous three rounds of the program, only 116,000 have been redeemed.

Another 140,000 will be made available later today.

To date, the state government says $159 million has been spent under the Victorian travel voucher program on accommodation, tours and experiences.

How to get your hands on a $200 Victorian travel voucher