On Tuesday 25 August more than 70 attendees within the accommodation and hospitality industry gathered at the Hotel Grand Chancellor (HGC) Brisbane for the QHA Accommodation Division’s 6th Annual Hotel Market and Economic Outlook Event.
The event, as has been the case in past years, provided insights into current and upcoming market trends to assist the audience with economic forecasting, facilitating strategic planning. A variety of speakers took to the stage to discuss a broad range of topics.
The morning commenced with a light healthy breakfast served under the HGC Covid Safe Industry Plan, and the opportunity to network with fellow industry colleagues. Guest speakers for the day included:
Damien Walker, Director General - Department of State Development, Tourism and Innovation set the scene from a Queensland Government perspective.
Janu Chan, Senior Economist at St George Bank provided insights on the economic outlook for Australia and world markets.
Paul Hammond, Business Development Manager STR with over 20 years of experience within the tourism and hospitality industry, focused his presentation on the accommodation sector in uncertain times. Paul zoned in on what the future looks like and what “new supply” will mean moving forward. Reference was made to the impact of border restrictions and the challenge faced with improving midweek occupancy.
Adrian Archer, National Director Valuation and Advisory at Savills has valued over 1,000 hotels across more than 20 countries acting on behalf of institutions, private investors and operators. His presentation covered historic performance, new hotel supply and RevPar forecasts pre and post COVID-19.
Katherine Droga, founder of Droga & Co, a global tourism and events agency, and the inaugural Wellness Tourism Summit, provided the audience with the opportunities she foresees for the wellness tourism industry pre and post COVID-19.
Michael Johnson, CEO of Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) provided an update on the macro projects TAA has been involved in on a national level.
Sara Dolnicar, Professor of Tourism Business at the University of Queensland discussed sustainability within the tourism sector and the opportunities that exist for the industry.
Oliver Philpot, Head of Aviation Marketing Partnerships for the Brisbane Airport Corporation and his colleague, Carl Jones, Head of Aviation Development, provided the audience with an update on aviation routes and partnerships.
The event concluded with a light networking lunch for all participants. Whilst this half day event provided those who attended valuable information it also provided the audience to have confidence that events of this nature can be held in these uncertain times
