News
Tasmania’s largest HR group backs call to dust off the welcome mat
Posted on Wednesday, 11 November 2009 | Permalink
A key opportunity for Tasmania lies in the ability of our service industries to create a higher yield. Locals and visitors alike can be encouraged to spend in the State through better service and higher standards of product choice and presentation. The call by the AHA to dedicate a focussed effort on the role of hospitality in key service industries is a welcome addition to the State’s strategic potential.
“The decision to appoint Michelle O’Byrne as Minister for Hospitality has been endorsed by the AHA and we support the focus that will bring on the services sector generally , not just the Tourism and Hospitality industry” said O group CEO Andrew Billing.
“Clearly the education and skill of all service workers is at stake here” said Billing. We are in a global market place with plenty of competition so the focus this announcement brings underlines the need to benchmark ourselves not against yesterday’s situation but tomorrow’s challenge – we need to be on the front foot in this state when it comes to great service and great hospitality.
The O group has c 10,000 small business clients, many of whom rely heavily on repeat customers and visitors. “We want to ensure our clients have the best opportunity to grow their business in Tasmania. The recent visitor trends indicate an annual Tasmanian population of c. 1.5 M people and that new level of total customers for the State brings a tremendous boost to the notion of “year round” viability to many innovative and established service activities that our clients have developed in Tasmania.”
“We applaud the AHA for the drive and success to inform the government of this need and the State for the commitment to enable the strategy with the appointment” said Mr Billing.
