THA CEO UPDATE
Steve Old - THA CEO
The hospitality world remains uncertain and a state election only adds to the instability, as we continue to navigate an operating environment that changes almost daily. One positive for our industry are the flights taking off to and, importantly, from New Zealand which are a huge step in generating increased tourism and investment in hospitality. The THA team is proud to have reached a Memorandum of Understanding with Hospitality New Zealand (HNZ) and the formation of the travel bubble will help bring this to fruition. We have been sharing ideas over the past few months and we now hope to meet with our counterparts ‘across the ditch’ to better collaborate in the coming months. We also hope that HNZ CEO Julie White and some of her teamwill be able to attend the THA Awards for Excellence in June and/or the national awards in Hobart in September. The issues that have arisen with the rollout of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine are concerning but we can only deal with the best information that is at hand at the time. We will continue to keep the industry up to date with any further announcements or updates from authorities. We hope that the delays in the rollout and the changes to recommendations for people under 50 can be resolved and the rollout can proceed so that our operators can look forward to even more tourism and confidence for the future. With this in mind, the THA continues to lobby for the further easing of density restrictions in the State’s restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars, pubs and taverns as we know this is among the biggest concerns for operators. It is pleasing to see the Tasmanian Government announce the lifting of restrictions for certain indoor and outdoor venues to allow 100 percent capacity after adopting advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee to National Cabinet.
However, it is disappointing that all divisions of the hospitality sector have not been included, despite operators complying with contact tracing, social distancing and increased hygiene requirements for many months. We will continue to lobby both major parties for strong commitments to the Tasmanian hospitality sector and encourage the easing of restrictions to allow operators to trade more viably and accelerate the recovery from the detrimental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We feel that opening the doors and allowing 100% capacity is the next logical step in the road map to recovery and we will be urging the Government to allow this to happen sooner rather than later. With the quieter winter months quickly approaching, the THA understand the importance of venues being able to welcome as many patrons as possible. We know the industry is committed to keeping the community safe and adhering to the Government requirements and guidelines, and we will support venues to do that. As always, the THA is here to fight for you and your business. We are proud to have the support of both major parties in the lead up to the 2021 State Election. Both the Tasmanian Labor Party and Tasmanian Liberal Party have made strong commitments to support the hospitality industry. The THA supports a majority government and we look forward to working with the elected government into the future. Details of both major parties’ hospitality election policies can be found on pages 22-23. Remember to keep an eye on our website and Facebook page as well as our regular newsletter and CEO video to keep up with the latest announcements and information that will help you and your business.
THA HOSPITALITY—REVIEW: APRIL 2021 | 6
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