day’s
or a fair
s pay
challenge but in the last 12 months our
members (that includes tour operators, hotel
chains, attractions and restaurants) have
repeatedly told us that finding staff,
particularly those with proficient language
skills, is now their single biggest issue.
“Over a third of staff in the inbound tourism
industry are from the EU and their language
and customer service skills are vital when
meeting and working with our inbound visitors
and negotiating with overseas operators.
However, many of these staff earn under
£30,000 and restricting this pipeline of
workers could see tourism businesses start to
suffer and fail. We urge the Government to
re-think the salary level for our [mainly leisure]
industry.”
Many of UKinbound’s members have also
reported that job applications for positions
across the tourism industry were significantly
www.conference-news.co.uk
down in 2018, with members at the recent
AGM predicting the downward trajectory to
continue in 2019. Members claim it was
normal to receive ‘20 to 30 applications per
position’, but this figure has dropped to five.
Pay rises for some
However, data from the 2019 Reed Hospitality
& Leisure Salary Guide suggests that some
roles within the industry are seeing pay