Qld tourism: Baby boomers to provide future labour force

The growing segment of grey nomad travellers could help fill the rapidly expanding number of jobs that will flow from Queensland’s future tourism boom.

TRAVELLING baby boomers could help fill the rapidly expanding number of jobs in Queensland’s tourism industry, under a proposal to change age limits for working holiday visas.

Tourism is responsible for more than 200,000 Queensland jobs, a figure expected to grow an additional 20,000 over the next couple of years, but the demand could outrun supply unless changes are made to our tourism industry workforce.

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Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind wants to see a working holiday visa program introduced for travelling seniors, similar to the scheme that has allowed generations of young backpackers to earn money while enjoying Gap Years Down Under.

Mr Gschwind, who also advocates for tourism jobs to be considered a genuine career path rather than a short-term gig, said the industry was growing so fast there could soon be more jobs than people to fill them unless authorities thought outside the box.

“There’s job opportunities left, right and centre,” he said.

“We have seen already instances where there are hundreds of vacancies for hospitality jobs needing to be filled.

“Australia was a real pioneer of working holiday visas for backpackers, so why not for baby boomers as well?

“We need to tap in to this space more.”

He said senior travellers had valuable skill sets that could present advantages over having to train younger staff from scratch and working short stints could prolong their trips and increase their spending in the Queensland economy.

“They are going to be free of commitments back home such as work and family so they could stay here for extended periods and they would most likely spend the money they earn here anyway,” he said.

While the issue is a Federal Government responsibility, Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones said she supported the proposal.

“We know when tourists can stay for longer, they spend more,” she said.

“Ensuring more visitors can temporarily support themselves while they’re travelling around the state just makes sense.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Home Affairs did not directly address questions about the possibility of a working visa for older holidaymakers, but said the Federal Government was constantly reviewing its visa offerings to ensure immigration programs matched the differing needs across regions.

Working visas for tourists are usually granted only to travellers under 30, though for some countries the age limit is 35.

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