Skills shortage threatens tourism industry
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive John Lee says Australia is suffering a national skills shortage because workers are fleeing the hospitality and tourism industries and heading off to work for high wages in the mining sector.
“It has led to a real vacuum in some parts of the tourism industry,” he said.
Reacting to reports that people who worked in the tourism industry in Ireland were unable to get visas to come to Australia to work as chefs, waiters or maitre d’s, Lee added, “The idea of fast-tracking visas not only for engineers for the mining boom but chefs and professional tourism staff we think is much needed.”
American Express World Services in Australia vice-president Christine Wakefield said, “The super-powered Australian dollar has upped the ante on Australian tourism operators,”
“Without an A-plus in customer service, travellers are unlikely to become repeat purchasers and will end up spending their money elsewhere.”
Lee said Australia has struggled to keep up with the rising quality of service standards in parts of Asia when it came to leisure-based tourism, particularly in regional areas.
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“Australia is competing with Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand… the bar keeps rising and it’s really important in terms of customer service.”
Ian Jarrett
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