While the financial world may be cringing,
Australia’s tourism industry is delighted with the fall in value of the Australian dollar – at the time of writing it had depreciated 11.95% against the US dollar since April 30 and was trading between 82.42 and 80.73 US cents, its lowest level since July 2009.

A glimmer of hope for the battered industry.

But, in the overall scheme of things, it is just one glimmer of hope. Over a period of two years, the industry has been mauled by an unprecedented series of events not of its own making. A combination of climatic extremes, low inbound travel volumes, high numbers of Australians taking advantage of the high status of the Australian dollar travelling abroad, oil spill emergencies and the GFC all combined to create a dismal 24 months of pain.

The government added to the woes by introducing high penalty rates for weekend and overtime work that now sees casual workers on a public holiday getting paid $50 an hour or more. Then to rub salt into the wound, employer superannuation contributions will rise in stages to 12% by 2019.

All the while the government boasts on how well it looks after small business – the nation’s biggest employers.

Forgetting the gloom, design revolution was to the fore as accommodation providers flocked to Melbourne to see what the latest offerings were in accommodation and, even more fascinating, what the future holds. The inaugural Hotel and Hospitality Design expo was an inspiring affair that showcased an amazing array of technology and design innovations to set any accommodation provider’s heart thumping (and their bean counter’s heads spinning!). One wonders just how distant the items in the Room of the Future exhibit will become commonplace in our hotels, motels and resorts.

While the government may have put its commitment to sustainable energy on the back burner, accommodation providers are embracing ‘green’ changes as soundly as ever but, rather than for glory or something to market, there is now a real desire to maintain costs in the face of ever rising energy costs (and we still need to factor in the new mining tax that will have expenditure ramifications affecting us all).

AMG looks at all these topics and more in this Winter 2010 edition.

I hope you find it both informing and entertaining.