EDITORIAL
Labor Leader and Shadow Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events Rebecca White
The recent Tasmanian Hospitality Awards for Excellence have once again showcased the abundance of excellent hospitality venues across the state. Our island state has so much to offer and I congratulate all of the cafes, restaurants, accommodation providers, pubs, sporting clubs and tourism operators recognised for their achievements and contributions. The hospitality industry really is vital to Tasmania’s economy and future and it’s so important to celebrate the best of the best and enjoy their success. This is especially the case in an industry requiring such hard work, long hours, dedication and the associated stress that comes with that.
Hospitality work has always been fairly high stress, with some businesses operating around the clock, others involving weekend and shift work, and staff dealing with a demanding environment and a wide range of customers. As well as looking after them, it is also vital that we deliver the best possible experience for customers and build on Tasmania’s excellent tourism and hospitality reputation so we can make the most of all we have to offer. In order to do this and build our visitor economy, we need to look after customers as well as the people working in the industry and that means providing the kind of training and support that benefits both. The more support we provide, the better the experience will be for both customers and staff. Being able to deliver the Great Customer Experience Program at individual venues is one of the benefits of this type of program, allowing it to be tailored to individual businesses, ensuring everyone gets as much as they can out of it. Tasmanian Labor wants to make the most of our tourism and hospitality opportunities and we understand that the best way to do that is to provide support and guidance to workers, operators and the industry as a whole wherever possible. As the latest Hospitality Awards have demonstrated, we have many, many excellent hospitality businesses in Tasmania – and Labor is fully behind the programs that will build on this. Congratulations to you all on your achievements and my very best wishes to the state award winners going on to the National Hospitality Awards next month. You are all winners already and I wish you every success on the national stage.
As someone who spent some time pulling drinks behind the bar in my early working life, and now with a family catering business, I’m aware of the toll this can take. That’s why Labor supports the programs that have been introduced to support people in the industry, including the HOSPO Health Initiative to provide health and wellbeing support to industry workers and the Great Customer Experience Program.
15 Tasmanian Hospitality Review October/November Edition
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