Don't panic, Tourism Australia urges

(AAP) - Tourism operators have been urged not to sack staff in the face of the global economic crisis.

Tourism Australia chairman and former Coles Myer chairman, Rick Allert, said at a
conference in Adelaide on Wednesday that now was the ideal time to provide the best
service possible when hard working Australians needed it most.
"They don't want to be disappointed when they get to your destination," he said.
"You'll have to continue to provide service and don't lose sight of your customers
and their expectations."
Mr Allert said there was room for discretionary expenditure cuts, but that operators
should avoid making rash decisions.
"Don't just willy nilly think `I must cut my costs, I must cut my employee
numbers'," he said.
"Just baton down the hatches and make sure you live through this and you're there to
fight another day.
"Focus on training your people and making sure you've got a quality product at all
times."
With a weaker Australian dollar and fuel prices starting to drop, Mr Allert said
while foreign experience seekers would continue to visit unique destinations Down
Under, the domestic market would grow stronger due to fewer Australians travelling
overseas.
He said more Australians were staying home to discover their own country and that he
expected that figure to continue to increase.
Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) managing director Matt Hingerty said Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd should lead by example by taking a holiday in Australia.
"Instead of the prime minister working himself to the bone over Christmas, he should
have a holiday in Australia and show a bit of leadership," Mr Hingerty said.
He said Mr Rudd's ministers and senior bureaucrats and big business should do the same.
"For the services economy, not just tourism but retail as well, Christmas is its key
time of the year and it would be good if our leaders, and the opposition as well,
could set an example by having a holiday at home."
Mr Hingerty also suggested the federal government set up a fund to help
entrepreneurs through tough times and assist the government's own goal of
stimulating the market with taxpayer money.
"It'd be nice if a little bit of loose change fell off the edge of the table for
people with good ideas - like chasing after the health and wellness sector - to
turbo charge their efforts at a time when it's needed," Mr Hingerty said.