General News
12 October, 2026
Tourism staffing crisis
AFTER a successful long weekend for Queensland tourism operators, the industry is now staring down the barrel of not being able to staff businesses for the summer school holidays and beyond.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) chief executive officer Nattassia Wheeler said many operators relied on working holiday-makers – and nowhere more than in the Tropical North
“Nearly half of the tourism businesses that responded to QTIC’s new survey are in the Tropical North: 17 of 38, including operators in Cairns, Port Douglas, the Tablelands and Cooktown.
“Their answers show the region is more exposed than the rest of the state:
For two in three Far North businesses, working holiday-makers make up more than half of their peak-season staff. Statewide, the figure is two-in-five
Every Far North operator that advertised for local staff in the past year said the response fell short and around half received no local applicants at all
Three-in-four would cut trading hours or days, or close
Two-in-three expect their revenue to fall by more than 10%.
The ballot offers 45,000 second-year visas. About 57,000 people qualified last year. No start date has been confirmed, and operators are building their summer rosters now.
Ms Wheeler said:
Cairns Aquarium could not run its restaurant, functions and events business without working holiday-makers
Cairns Harbourside Hotel would have to cap room bookings because there would not be enough staff to service rooms
AdvertisementGilligan’s Hotel and Resort working holiday makers are both its workforce and its customers
Salsa Bar and Grill needs 14 staff to open for lunch and dinner – and eight are working holiday-makers
Hemingway’s Brewery would cut days
Mungalli Creek Dairy finds short-term seasonal roles hard to fill with locals
Mason’s Cafe working holiday-makers make up more than half of its peak staff.
Ash’s @ the Point Cafe says there is no local workforce where the business is based
The Seaview Cooktown says there are no local workers within a four-hour drive.
Cairns Aquarium CEO Daniel Leipnik said the business “could not run our restaurant and functions and events business” without working holiday-makers.
More than 16,000 people have also signed a national petition to protect working holiday maker visas.
Ms Wheeler said businesses from Cooktown to the Gold Coast told QTIC that without working holiday makers they would cut opening hours, turn away bookings or close.
“These businesses advertised to locals first. They used job boards, community pages and recruitment agencies. The applicants simply weren’t there,” she said.
