Today’s business world recognises the power of social media and many businesses understand the necessity to be prepared for an unforeseen crisis, but a new mobile app will take the tourism industry to the next level of ‘readiness’ through a powerful digital tool - the Ready, Set, Go! mobile app.

                         

John Sharpe, owner of Brisbane-based business and QTIC member Riverlife, helped to launch the Ready, Set, Go! mobile app designed to assist Queensland tourism businesses prepare for disasters or weather crises, similar to the 2011 floods which devastated his business.

 

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.

 

The app will be available for download from Tuesday 26 November 2013.

 

Mr Sharpe said the Ready, Set, Go! mobile app is an invaluable tool for tourism businesses looking for an easy and effective way to get prepared for severe weather events and help them manage their business  in times of crisis.

 

“I understand only too well how hard it is being a small business owner and thinking that you’re prepared for the worst case scenario,” Mr Sharpe said.

 

“The 2011 floods caused $100,000 worth of damage to Riverlife and we were forced to shut down temporarily, which resulted in a significant loss of revenue and staff wages.  We thought we were covered by our business interruption policy but our insurance company didn’t pay us anything.

 

“It’s easy to be a little complacent and think ‘Oh, it won’t happen to us, we’ll be right’.  The best way for other tourism operators to avoid finding themselves in such a devastating situation is to be prepared and have a plan ready to know what steps to take towards management and recovery.”

 

QTIC Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind said Queensland’s tourism industry has certainly had its fair share of disaster and weather challenges in recent years.

 

“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.

 

“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.

 

“As we approach another summer of unpredictable weather, 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 transforms a person’s smartphone into a disaster management headquarters.  Essentially, it’s 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.”

 

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, just like Riverlife, when considering how severely they would be impacted in the short and long term if they went through a major crisis.”

 

Listen to John Sharpe from Riverlife talk about the launch of the Ready, Set, Go! App via the QTIC YouTube channel.  See the story of Riverlife’s 2011 flood experience on the Riverlife YouTube channel.

Business Workshops

Workshops will be held in December 2013 across Queensland for tourism operators to learn how to use the APP, create their crisis “go pack” and plan for getting back to business.  

 

November 26 – Brisbane, 2pm - 3pm

December 2 – Sunshine Coast, 3pm - 4pm 

December 3 – Cairns, 3pm - 4pm

December 4 – Port Douglas, 12pm - 1pm

December 10 – Fraser Coast, 2pm - 3pm

 

To register or find out more, contact Kelly Haussler on (07) 3238 1901 or Kelly.Haussler@ec3global.com.
                                                                           
 

Media Contact: Joanna Atzori, QTIC Communication Officer
Phone: (07) 3236 1445 / 0403 730 909 / Joanna.Atzori@qtic.com.au  

 

Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is the peak industry body for tourism in Queensland. QTIC is a private sector, membership-based organisation which, since 2001, has worked to influence and shape Queensland’s tourism business environment. Today, QTIC boasts more than 3,000 members including Regional Tourism Organisations and industry sector associations.

EC3 Global is an international tourism and environmental management and advisory group which was developed by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), the world's largest dedicated research centre specialising in sustainable tourism and research. EC3 Global work with clients to plan, manage and achieve business, development and marketing objectives; Set and achieve sustainability goals with a triple bottom line focus and implement programs to achieve these objectives. Its global community of clients have access to experienced project managers and allied professionals, as well as global tourism best practice and research.