Antinuclear

Western Australians stand to benefit with employment from tourism, rather than mining

Tourism is a much more important job provider than is mining.  And – it must be noted –  mining is transient – and usually leaves a nasty looking degraded environment, and a dying town, when it ends.  Tourism goes on, can go hand in hand with environmental conservation, and provide ongoing employment.

Tourism a jobs winner http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/17874412/tourism-a-jobs-winner/  Yolanda Zaw, 5 July 13, Tourism will overtake mining and construction as one of the biggest employers in WA, according to statistics to be released today. Tourism accounts for 7 per cent of all jobs in the State, just behind mining with 8 per cent, construction 10 per cent and health care and social assistance, the top employer with 11 per cent.

Tourism Council chief executive Evan Hall said tourism would become more important to the WA economy as the resources boom slowed.

“The trend is for tourism jobs to grow as mining jobs decline,” he said. “With the lower Australian dollar, cheaper hotel rates and more flights to Perth, WA can win back the leisure tourists we lost over the last few years.”

Mr Hall said in all other States tourism employed more people than mining.

“Tourism would create more jobs than mining in WA, too, if it got the same backing from government,” he said. “Over the next few years, tourism can replace the lost mining jobs, so long as WA doesn’t keep putting all its eggs in the resources basket.”

He called on the State Government to invest in promoting WA as a holiday destination and create new jobs in the sector.

“Mining accounts for 35.9 per cent of the WA economy, but only 8.3 per cent of the jobs,” he said.

“The money is tied up in mine sites, ports and trucks, not people.

“Mining is capital intensive. Tourism is labour intensive.”

The annual “report card” compiled by Tourism Research Australia showed tourism jobs in WA grew 11.25 per cent to 89,000 in the past financial year, the biggest increase of any State. Owen Williams, director of Segway Tours WA, said it was time for WA’s tourism industry to blossom.

July 5, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | employment, Western Australia