Time for hospitality industry to be rewarded

6 October 2004

Time for hospitality industry to be rewarded

It’s time for the hospitality industry to be adequately rewarded for the contribution it makes to tourism.

That was the message from Hospitality Association president Bill McLean in his keynote address at its annual meeting in Auckland yesterday.

He said that for too long too many people had been applauding tourism and the huge dollars generated by visitors, but accommodation rates now had to be raised.

“The returns to those providing accommodation are terrible, given the high investment involved, and quite simply, it’s our turn to show a respectable profit,” he said.

“The Government seems set on protecting our customers from themselves and requiring the industry to do the protecting.

“The question I ask is – when is it going to be our turn?

“It’s time for the politicians to start listening to the sensible and pragmatic financial suggestions the hospitality industry have been putting to them - both formally and informally,” he said.

He also called for a commission-based return to pokie machine operators.

“The plethora of regulations, rules and taxes has become an absolute nightmare and operators should be rewarded for their time and effort with a sensible commission, rather than an arbitrary amount not at all linked to the reality the demands impose on those who raise many millions of dollars returned to the community,”

“A simple commission basis could easily and quickly remove a bureaucratic nightmare and provide transparency, clarity and fairness,” he said.

ENDS

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