New year’s resolutions for 2010

As new year is the time for resolutions, I thought I’d take the liberty of making a few on behalf of the industry. Unlike my own (to stop swearing), I’m hoping the following will last beyond the first week back at work.  

1. Rather than waiting for the authorities to clamp down on dodgy, dishonest or downright dangerous practices,  the industry should take a more proactive role in making sure its members do the right thing by our international guests.

2.  Instead of navel gazing about the relevance or otherwise of the term ‘backpacker’, let’s engage properly with the international student market and come up with practical ways to meet the needs of the millions of young people visiting our shores to study and travel every year.

3. Let’s be proactive and start a constructive dialogue with incoming Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy about the best ways to market the backpacking industry internationally. It’s no use sitting back and complaining when things go wrong, it’s up to us to make sure backpacking is a fundamental part of Brand Australia.

4. We must continue to press the Government to widen the eligibility criteria for the Working Holiday Visa and open up the specified work scheme to more industry sectors. While we’re at it, let’s make sure they don’t do anything silly like scrapping the second year visa altogether because of a few rogue applicants.

5. Let’s make sure 2010 is the year individual businesses put aside self-interest and petty jealousies  and work together for the good of the industry as a whole.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but am I the only one?

By Martin Lane  ·  January 8th, 2010 at 3:37 pm

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