Investing one hour now could save your business thousands of dollars in the future, thanks to the new free Ready, Set, Go! mobile app which helps small businesses prepare for severe weather events, handle unexpected business interruptions and manage business operations during a crisis.
Queensland’s tourism industry has experienced its fair share of challenges, from severe weather, to global pandemics, and unexpected changes to transport systems that have a dramatic effect on businesses – especially in peak season. Operators are being encouraged to increase their level of ‘readiness’ by transforming their smartphone into their disaster management headquarters.
Tourism businesses were among those affected by the recent South East Queensland superstorm which took Queenslanders by surprise in late November, resulting in an expected damage bill of around $1 billion.
QTIC Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind said the Ready, Set, Go! mobile app is an invaluable tool for tourism businesses looking for an easy and effective way to prepare for severe weather events and help them manage their business in times of crisis.
“Tourism operators know only too well that floods, bushfires and cyclones are part and parcel of doing business in Queensland, yet too many are putting themselves at risk of closure due to inadequate preparation for natural disasters and severe weather events,” Mr Gschwind said.
“The Ready, Set, Go! app is like having a digital business continuity plan which holds all the essential information to get a business up and running again after an incident or crisis.
“In 2010-11, flooding and Cyclone Yasi were estimated to have caused a loss of around $400 million to tourism exports. Then on top of that we saw the devastation of flooding earlier this year on the Australia Day long weekend.
“Queensland experiences unpredictable weather during summer and the best way for any business to cope in an emergency situation is to have a plan before a crisis strikes.”
The Ready, Set, Go! App was created by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), EC3 Global and the National Centre for Studies in Travel and Tourism through funding from the Commonwealth Government’s Department of Industry under its Small Business Advisory Services program Queensland Natural Disaster Assistance round.
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Leanne Coddington said Queensland’s tourism industry had weathered a number of challenges in recent years from floods and cyclones to bushfires and had proven its resilience.
“The Ready, Set , Go! app equips businesses with a plan to ensure they are able to welcome visitors back to their business as soon as possible, ” Ms Coddington said.
There are few sectors of the community that do not derive a benefit from tourism. Tourism in Queensland contributes $23 billion in expenditure to the economy and employs 241,000 people.
Mr Gschwind said research has shown 80 per cent of businesses without a continuity plan don’t survive two years after a major crisis (Source: APEC, 2008).
“We also know that for every dollar invested in disaster mitigation, three dollars is saved in recovery costs,” he said (Source: Queensland Government, 2001).
“This is a crucially important factor for tourism businesses, considering how severely they would be impacted in the short and long term if they went through a major crisis.”
