Covid Gold Coast: Why hospo businesses are worried about border reopening
With tourists set to flood the Glitter Strip when the borders open on December 17, operators are nervous about one key challenge. DETAILS
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GOLD Coast hospitality and tourism operators crying out for staff to fill shifts ahead of the border reopening are agitating for more incentives to entice workers to the industry.
They worry there won’t be enough staff to cope when tourists flood the Glitter Strip when the border floodgates open on December 17.
Hospitality boss Scott Imlach, who owns Precinct Brewing Co and a host of other eateries, said he had lost 50 per cent of his staff since the pandemic began.
“A lot of them were international travellers and they had to go home,” Mr Imlach said.
“Good staff are as rare as hen’s teeth.
“Chefs are near impossible to find at the moment – A lot of chefs I used (pre-Covid) were international chefs and from foreign countries.”
The peak Christmas period will be tough on current staff if they aren’t able to recruit more soon, the hospitality boss said.
“We will get by but everyone will be digging deep.”
Mr Imlach said the hospitality industry needed an image overhaul to be seen as a career path for young people entering the workforce.
This could be achieved through more industry apprenticeships for occupations such as brewers, he said.
Mr Imlach said many hospitality bosses would also welcome an earlier international border reopening so backpackers could return.
Max Seafood owner Vincent Davies said his restaurant lost half its staff when the pandemic began and it had been hard to get them back.
“We’ve been running ads on and off since we reopened after the lockdown,” Mr Davies said.
“Out of 10 people we organised interviews for, maybe one person would show up for the interview.”
Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said staff shortages were one of the top challenges members had flagged in recent months.
“We know there’s not a shortage of people able to work, the latest unemployment figures show that,” he said.
“It’s about getting the right staff.”
Mr Hall said every level of government needed to work together to create a road map for careers in hospitality and tourism, as well as more mentorship opportunities.
And this can’t come soon enough, with data from Muval predicting the Gold Coast was set to experience an influx of visitors.
The Glitter Strip landed at number six in the top 10 holiday locations in Australia about to experience a tourism boom from visiting friends and relatives once the borders open.
“We all know there’s pent up demand for Aussies to travel and visit loved ones,” Muval chief executive James Morrell said.
“No doubt the friends and relatives of Queensland’s newest residents will be excited to visit their loved ones and enjoy a holiday at the same time.”
Destination Gold Coast chief executive Patricia O’Callaghan said businesses should be prepared to face a skills shortage as they ramp-up for reopening.
“Our message to job seekers and school leavers across the country is that the tourism industry here on the Gold Coast is one of the best you could be a part of in an enviable destination to live, work and play,” she said.
‘Huge ramifications’: Why Coast could lose Covid battle – October 24
SOME Gold Coast residents are refusing to use the Check In Qld app to avoid isolation and testing in the event they visit a Covid exposure site.
A prominent GP described the revelation as “very concerning”, saying it could cause “huge ramifications” in the state’s battle against Covid.
Meanwhile over the border, a Kingscliff hospitality boss said some Tweed venues were flouting NSW’s Covid rules by serving unvaccinated people.
Vincent Davies is the owner of Max Seafood Restaurant in Broadbeach – the same suburb where the state’s latest Covid case was staying while infectious.
Mr Davies said his staff had been handing out QR codes to many customers who were not using the Check In app on arrival.
People were not checking in so they could avoid being traced if they entered an exposure site, he said.
“We had a couple recently where we had given them a QR code and the husband didn’t want to check in,” Mr Davies said.
“His wife had to physically remove herself from the table so the husband couldn’t see her checking in.”
Dr Sonu Haikerwal said a “huge sense of complacency and fatigue” had set in on the Gold Coast towards Covid restrictions.
“Our testing numbers are the lowest they have ever been,” she said.
“There is that fatigue, lack of motivation and enthusiasm that we are seeing from people.”
By not using the Check In app, Gold Coasters risked causing a Covid outbreak, Dr Haikerwal said.
“This could have huge ramifications,” she said.
“Queensland has avoided big outbreaks for two reasons. One is because we spend so much time outdoors. The second is because of our contact tracing.”
She said being kind and supporting each other was the best way to combat Covid fatigue.
But Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club general manager Phil Kelly said it was not just customers flouting the rules.
Mr Kelly said he was aware of several Tweed licensed venues that were not checking customers’ vaccination status.
“A customer said ‘we’ve been all around town and this is the first time we’ve been asked’.” he said.
NSW police said those who don’t comply with Covid requirements could face a fine of $1000 for individuals and $5000 for corporations.
“Compliance with Covid-19 restrictions within a venue are the responsibility of the business owner or manager and police will provide assistance where requested,” a police spokeswoman said.
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