The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) WA welcomes today’s announcement by the WA Government of a new “Work and Wander out Yonder” campaign to entice Western Australians to complete a working holiday in regional areas of the state.

AHA(WA) CEO Bradley Woods said the initiative will help fill critical workforce shortages in WA’s regional hotels and hospitality venues, who have experienced significant difficulties in recent months in recruiting the staff required to operate their businesses at full capacity.

“The significant challenges COVID-19 has presented WA’s hospitality industry have been compounded by an alarming shortage of skilled workers in regional areas,” Mr Woods said.

“This campaign is a welcome step in the right direction and aims to highlight the appealing career paths and short term work opportunities that exist in WA’s most sought after holiday destinations.”

“Intrastate tourism is currently booming as a result of the successful Wander out Yonder campaign but in order to maximise this success it is essential that businesses are able to source the workers they require.”

“International backpackers have traditionally played a pivotal role in Australia’s hospitality industry, however with approximately 50,000 working holiday makers having left Australia because of COVID-19 it is imperative that we investigate ways to get jobseekers to fill the many positions that are available outside of Perth.”

“This campaign is extremely appealing for those Western Australians looking for work – they will have an array of attractive employment opportunities to choose from and the cherry on top is the fact that the jobs are located in world-class holiday destinations.”

“The AHA has worked closely with the WA Government to ensure the Work and Wander out Yonder campaign is a success and commends Premier McGowan and Minister Paul Papalia for their commitment to addressing WA’s workforce shortages in the hotel and hospitality industry.”