Final piece of the puzzle

Every graph I look at now shows that for the first time, in a long time, everything in the accommodation sector is trending in the right direction.

There is a lot to be optimistic about this year but the final piece of the puzzle, if we are to truly return to and exceed pre-pandemic occupancies, is the Chinese tourist market.

I recently attended a meeting in Canberra with Tourism and Trade Minister Don Farrell and the relationship with China was high on the agenda.

A lot has been written about the value and sheer scale of our trade with China and the effect strained relations and tariffs have had on our economy.

But the value of Chinese tourism is often left out of the equation, and it cannot be overstated. Before the pandemic, China was Australia's biggest international tourism market. More than 1.4 million Chinese tourists visited our shores in 2019, spending approximately $12.4 billion.

We are seeing the return of some numbers of Chinese Free Independent Travellers (FIT’s) and Chinese students, but we are not seeing the large numbers of group travellers that made up the bulk of the visitors before the pandemic.

Tourism Australia is working on the issue and launched a marketing campaign in China when the country re-opened its borders in February.

It was also pleasing to hear the Federal Government is committed to working on stabilising trade relations with China, with the Minister confident both he and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will still visit China later this year. Closer to home, we have seen a new government sworn in here in NSW. We look forward to working with the Chris Minns Labor government. We had a good working relationship with Shadow Minister for Jobs, Investment and Tourism David Harris MP and will expect to hit the ground running once the new government ministry is bedded in.

It has been a big few weeks for the future of our association as well.

As many of you may have read final approval for the amalgamation of TAA and AAoA has now been confirmed by the Fair Work Commission and as such the single peak accommodation body, Accommodation Australia will be formed on July 1, 2023.

The final major hurdle for the amalgamation was the Accommodation Association of Australia’s members vote. On February 15 the Australian Electoral Commission announced an overwhelming 96 percent of AA members had voted in favour of the amalgamation.

This was a strong endorsement and a clear sign members from both organisations are ready to move into the future together as one.

Opportunities to start something new in life are rare, and I was humbled to learn I had been successful, after a lengthy national recruitment process, to be the inaugural CEO of the new industry body, Accommodation Australia.

I have been in this industry for more than thirty years - I live and breathe it - and it has long been a personal ambition of mine to see one united voice speaking for the accommodation sector at all levels of government.

To see this united body finally become a reality is exciting enough on its own, on both a personal and professional level. But to be its first CEO, to build something new alongside our inaugural Accommodation Australia President Leanne Harwood and our board is a once in a lifetime opportunity I do not intend to waste. I look forward to working with Leanne and the new board to build our new brand, develop our new culture and deliver something long promised for our combined membership, a single, strong and focused representation for the accommodation sector at all levels of government.