National is launching a campaign ‘Where are our workers this summer?” to highlight the critical shortage of workers in tourism and hospitality which risks undermining the experience of visitors and leave struggling businesses poorer, National’s Tourism spokesperson Todd McClay says.

“Around the country this summer, hotel rooms won’t be cleaned, restaurant tables will be empty, and people will be waiting for hours because businesses don’t have the staff they need.

“For the tourism and hospitality industry to provide the high-quality services that New Zealand is known for, they need to have the staff.

“Without them, the sector will attract less spending - meaning businesses that have struggled through Covid will not be able to trade their way out of trouble.

“For example, hospitality and restaurants need at least 50,000 staff, tour bus companies need 1,000 more drivers, and hotels need more than 2,500 extra workers.”

Information from the Hotel, Hospitality, Bus and Coach and Restaurant Associations and the Tourism Satellite Account have shown that their businesses are short 65,000 workers this summer, with the number expected to grow.

Auckland Airport says it is 1600 workers short and is warning of a ‘travel crunch’ this summer.

“New Zealand is hosting the Women’s FIFA World Cup next year, an event which could be a massive success. But if businesses can’t recover their debts over summer, we may not have a fully operational tourism industry.

“National would have listened to the sector when they first raised concerns and freed up immigration settings earlier to meet the predicted labour shortages.

“Labour also needs to focus on getting people into work not onto welfare to help provide the workers the sector desperately needs.

“Tourism and hospitality operators have been signalling this crisis for 12 months now. For many it is now too late to save this summer.

“The sector needs to send a loud and clear message to the Government that it needs to take action now to ensure tourists and tourism operators are not caught short again next summer.”

The petition can be found here: https://www.national.org.nz/support_hospitality_and_tourism

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