Queensland tourism employment grows at twice the national average

							                                                        Toowoomba Chronicle
                                                        27/09/2008
                                                        Page: 56
                                                        Property Week
                                                        Region: Toowoomba QLD Circulation: 23450
                                                        Type: Regional
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                          Queensland tourism employment grows at twice the national average
                            THE number of Queenslanders employed           said.
                          in tourism has grown at twice the national         "There is virtually no part of a town's
                          average over the past few years according        economy that doesn't benefit from tourism
                          to new research released by the Sustainable      in some way."
                          Tourism Research Centre.                            Ms Boyle said one of the tourism
                            Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said the         industry's greatest challenges was in
                          number of people directly employed in            finding and keeping skilled labour.
                          tourism in Queensland had increased by 15           "With a low unemployment level and the
                          percent between 2003-04 and 2006-07.             resources boom wooing many of our
                             "In addition, the STCRC calculated that a     youngest and brightest to the mines, many
                          further 97,000 Queenslanders were                tourism businesses are struggling to find
                          indirectly employed in tourism in                and keep skilled staff," Ms Boyle said.
                          Queensland, bringing the total to just under       "As most tourism employers are small to
                          216,000," Ms Boyle said.                         medium-sized businesses who can't
                             "The average growth was eight percent,        compete with the high wages offered by the
                          meaning Queensland grew at almost double         mining giants, the challenge is in
                          the national average."                           convincing young people in particular that
                            Ms Boyle said tourism was one of the           there is a strong career path waiting for
                          state's major employers and one of the most      them in the tourism industry.
                          labour-intensive because of its                     "To this end, it is important for us to
                          service-based nature.                            increase the focus on tourism training
                             "Queenslanders are employed in the            opportunities for young people, in attracting
                          tourism industry in virtually every town in      older people back into the workforce and in
                          every region across the state, from the local    attracting more overseas working
                          motel or pub in small country towns, to          holidaymakers."
                          major resorts and tour operators in our key         Ms Boyle said some of the initiatives the
                          tourist centres.                                 Tourism Queensland and Queensland
                             "While they may not consider themselves       Government were involved in to increase
                          to be directly employed in the tourism           employment in the tourism industry
                          industry, the petrol station worker who fills    included:
                          up the tank of the grey nomad's car and the           lobbying the federal government to
                          corner shop owner who sells them bread           loosen visa restrictions from seasonal
                          and milk also owe their living partly to         workers and grey nomads; ?
                          tourists." Ms Boyle said that during 2006-07          working with the Queensland Tourism
                          tourism also added $14.9 billion to the          Industry council and the Department of
                          economy's gross state product in both direct     Employment, Education and Training to
                          and indirect contributions - $1.1 billion more   develop regional tourism skills strategies;
                          than in 2003-04.                                      working with tourism training
                             Tourism is also the state's second largest    institutions such as universities and TAFE
                          export earner after mining with                  colleges.
                          international tourists alone contributing          "A welcoming smile from a friendly local
                          $3.9 billion to the Queensland economy last      is something that can never be mechanized
                          financial year. "This means that everyone        and will never become obsolete so as long
                          from the vegetable farmer to the truck           as we have the tourism product and skilled
                          driver who delivers the vegetables to            staff to attract visitors, there will always be
                          restaurants who in turn use them as              work in the tourism industry," Ms Boyle
                          ingredients in meals served to visitors          said.
                          benefit from the tourist dollar," Ms Boyle




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