What are we doing to the Gold Coast accommodation and tourism industry?
Our cities greatest asset accommodation and tourism discounted out like a common gargage sale is the general feedback we hear on a daily basis from mother and father management rights owners.
I really get concerned when I read articles like the following:
Top Gold Coast hotel room rates slashed September 4th, 2009
The Gold Coast has gone on sale.
Prices for accommodation at some of the Gold Coast’s nicest hotels have been slashed to as low as $85 a night in a bid to attract domestic tourists.
The promotion, called the ‘Get Some Gold Coast Sun Sale’ is being run by Tourism Queensland, Gold Coast Tourism and online hotel booking agent wotif.com.au and started yesterday.
The sale will be on until September 11 but the cheap accommodation deals will extend to stays in December.
This once again lays down the future for economical disaster not only for property managers and apartments and unit investors. These so called great deals that are placed out there on last minute accommodation sites only damage the accommodation industry for so many.
If all these great deals are on offer from $85 per night on some of the nicest Gold Coast hotels what happens to the smaller operator that normally charges $85 per night? does he cut his prices in half to compete? he is dammed if he does he is dammed if he doesn’t. I believe by discounting so hard we are lessing the true value of our beautiful city, the Gold Coast and all it offers. We are playing with loaded dice. And as far as the last minute sites go they make a mock of the Gold Coast accommodation and tourism industry.
The more we discount our beautiful Gold Coast accommodation the less we can afford to offer in first class facilities and services, someone needs to pay or everyone loses,you can’t maintain beautiful apartments and resorts when you are earning nothing for them per night.
Ask yourself does Virgin Blue or Qantas charge less for their last minute flights? The answer is no they reward you for booking ahead not at the last minute, they protect their asset. Management rights managers operating their management rights, have their property website with advertised tariffs on it, the site ranks okay on the search engines then he goes and places some allotments on the various last minute sites, then under cuts his own website tariffs and then on top of this goes and pays out the last minute site 10% to 15% on the booking that gets made on the already Bastardised last minute tariffs and rates. How is this beneficial to the property the accommodation industry or to the investor that has property in the management pool?
I do not like to rock boats but when I say that proactive marketing needs to be a major player, forecasting of market slumps should be long addressed before hand and Tourism Queensland should be working with local operators as well as Internet Marketing firms hand in hand. I have lost count how many times we have requested marketing materials, photos and information from Tourism Queensland and Gold Coast Tourism only to be told that we need to pay for photos etc. How ironic when we are attempting to push our State our City and our Country to the world.
I firmly believe that Tourism Queensland need a major shake up and reality check. Why should accommodation operators lose out so all the local tourism, restaurant and entertainment operators benefit.
Honestly who was the latest marketing genius to conceive this brainless campaign?
Tourism Queensland are empowered by people trusting and reliant upon them to perform. It is my belief that you need to start to perform it is time we started to realise we are one of the best and most beautiful tourism destinations in the world and no longer a small country town, we will all win if we work and co-operate together and remember Gold Coast Tourism and Tourism Queensland that next time you say no to giving smaller local tourism portals some marketing materials or photos you are harming the Gold Coast’s greatest industry TOURISM.
Paul Klerck
InfoLink IT
Dear InfoLink, I am not sure what you are trying to say on the first read, and was about to comment against you, but when reading again. You are right on what you are saying.
I had a management rights business for 6 years and during this time I paid out heavy amounts on memberships to Gold Coast Tourism and to be honest what we are seeing now is the Gold Coast Accommodation industry folding in on itself. The industry has been so damages by the Tony Smith’s Breakfree monopoly, the S8 overcharging to property owners on management and maintenance fees. And now the industry needs to deal with last minute sites.
After reading what you say about property owners selling against themselves you are so right but what choice do single operators have against the Stella chains and the Accor chains etc. I know so often I had to rely on last minute sites and I know now I should not of sold against my own website tariffs.
I also believe that all Tourism bodies and should work with local online portal directories. I know this as so many of these helped my accommodation business and most never got one cent or any assistance from Tourism of State Government offices.
I hope your words are read and absorbed by the right people although you maybe wasting your time.
My advice to all Tourism bodies read and absorb the online feedback and action more care and consideration towards all industry professionals.
I run a a small web design business here on the gold coast, I came across this article in Google. Paul, you have a big reputation in the Search Engine Marketing World. It is good to see that you still care about the smaller operators. I have heard that you are a stand up guy and this proves it.
In my experience building web sites I also have approached Queensland Tourism for images on one of my sites that PROMOTES the Gold Coast. I was told that I had to pay for the images too… They are a Rip Off!!! Seriously, they are State run but charging for images????? Are they trying to generate a secondary income from images that the hotel and tourism business ultimately pay for. This is not right.
I think that the small businesses involved in tourism need a voice. I feel really sorry for them after reading this.
What do these Tourism Organisations actually do apart from put on the old wine and cheese nights? Seriously, I am asking because I genuinely don’t know. Can someone answer me this?
This is an interesting article and I totally understand your point Paul, and it is a very valid one at that. I am a tour guide in Surfer Paradise. I have heard of a few of the apartments and resort managers around Surfers talking about this exact situation! From a tour guide’s point of view, Queensland Tourism do little for us.
As an Australian and an tourism industry employee on the Gold Coast isn’t it high time that we had a say where our hard earned tax dollars are sent. Tourism on the Gold Coast generates millions of dollars each year, but where do the dollars go? I find this to a total mock and abuse of the system that, when formed was intended to promote and support the tourism industry.
I would like to thank you for raising this and having the courage to be the one to start the ball rolling. 3 cheers for Paul. (Don’t forget us in the Tour Guide business too!)
I am not suprised to the reply comments to my article, however I thought I would face some negative feedback from somebody however this is not the case.
The issues now go way beyond support from Queensland Tourism and the Gold Coast Tourism what we are seeing now is the ongoing chain reaction of years of neglect. This is why I am now in the final stages of incorporating a new Tourism associating for the Gold Coast and Gold Coast hinterland region, it is time somebody assumed some responsibility and acted in a concerned professional manner and all I can say is shame on the various Tourism bodies that are meant to be representing our regions greatest asset accommodation and tourism and as far as teaming up with last minute websites like Wotif. “Who really benefits from this?”
I encourage all mangers of Gold Coast Apartments and Resort complexes on the Gold Coast and the Gold Coast hinterland region as well as local tourism operators to contact me personally Paul Klerck on 1300 663 664 or 0417 629828 if they are interested in moving forward with being a part of the new alternative Gold Coast Tourism association. I believe if we all act quickly and professionally we can build and bring back some credibility to our beautiful city. I have a network of more than 2000 websites and 400 of these relate to the accommodation and tourism industry so I will be using these to assist all association members.
Hi Paul Klerck
About time someone roostered the chicken coup mate! We believe that this has been going on for such a long time in the office of Gold Coast Tourism and loaded cannons are waiting to fire!
We have been running a very professional local family tourism company on the Gold Coast for the last 10 years with well over 600 websites online and in that time we have booked over 3 million holiday travellers in beds as well as promoting local things to do like activities through GoldCoastActivities.
Our Companies team is dedicated in looking after the holiday travellers best interest in promoting Gold Coast Tourism to people wanting to visit and spend thier holiday in our beautiful city from all over the world. Knowing the time and effort in promoting the Gold Coast online we believe that our 365 day reservation system website BookToday is being used by a growing 15,000 holiday travellers a week searching for holiday accommodation giving us a fighting chance to compete with the big boys in this industry like wotif and a few others.
Paul we have been supporting all year round bookings for property mangers on the Gold Coast with such an overwhelming success as you are well aware of rather than them having to rely on under cutting prices to get a last minute booking from sites like wotif…
All this has been done with lots of time consuming blood sweat and tears for the last ten years with not even one invitation to a gold coast tourism dinner or tourism gathering or meeting and no goverment funding whatsoever. If i added it all up over the 10 years i would say that our company and dedicated family team has spent millions in that time promoting the Gold Coast in the Tourism sector.
Its about time someone like yourself has the balls to take on the BIG GUNS lets go Klercky i would love to be part of a new GOLD COAST TOURISM association and put me down as a potential new member on the board of directors.
Lets clean up this local industry for the future not only for our legacy but the prosperous future of Gold Coast Tourism in our town we so love to live in and the lifestyle we deserve.
I too encourage local property managers to continue helping us
and support our new endeavours for a brightier future in this industry.
BookToday.com.au Company Director:
Will Birch
P.s Have your say! New Gold Coast Tourism Association Survey