AA and TAA boards map out road to single industry voice
Merger expected to be finalised by mid-2023
With a strategy to combat chronic labour shortages remaining high on the agenda, the national boards of Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) and the Accommodation Association Vhttps://www.aaoa.com.au have joined together for a third joint meeting to map out further steps towards creating a single united voice for the accommodation industry.
More than twenty respected accommodation sector representatives and CEOs from across Australia gathered at TAA’s Culwulla Chambers in Sydney to discuss the creation of Accommodation Australia.
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Chairing the meeting, AA President, Leanne Harwood, who will become the first President of new peak body Accommodation Australia, said the two associations are working closer than ever before and well on the way to creating something truly special.
“The process is understandably slow, but the merger should be finalised by mid-next-year. While we remain separate bodies, we are already seeing the benefits of pooling our resources and our talent to get the best results for all our members across Australia,” she said.
TAA CEO Michael Johnson said the labour shortage, in combination with the housing rental crisis impacting workers in regional areas were major topics of discussion.
“The rental shortage in many areas is making what was already a difficult situation even worse,” he said.
“It is making it hard for hospitality businesses to convince workers to move to country towns across WA, NSW, Victoria and Queensland and it is adding another level of difficulty to the already tough task of finding staff.”
Mr Johnson said the benefits of the TAA/AHA Power Purchase Agreement were outlined at the meeting along with a recap of the successful inclusion of AA Association venues in the recent TAA NSW Awards.
Upcoming joint events like No Vacancy and the AHA National Awards for Excellence were also discussed.
AA CEO, Richard Munro said it was important to continue to meet to keep the merger on track.
“But it is equally important that we combine forces to tackle the very real problems our industry faces at the present,” he said, citing recovery is still being hampered by ongoing skilled staff shortages, Chinese tourism at a virtual standstill, and rising inflation biting into hotels bottom lines and impacting of people’s ability to travel and spend.
Mike Parker-Brown is a UK-trained and qualified journalist and an award-winning travel communicator with more than 30 years experience.
Since 2002, Mike has worked as a freelance writer and PR consultant providing his services to major organisations in Australia and internationally in the tourism, aviation, hospitality, recruitment and export marketing sectors.
