TQ job “rewarding, dispiriting", says ex-chief

TQ job “rewarding, dispiriting", says ex-chief
By admin


Tourism Queensland chief executive Anthony Hayes has described the role as the most “rewarding job imaginable” – and also the most dispiriting.

Hayes quit late last week, just one day after a new board was appointed by the Queensland Government.

Hayes, who spent seven years as TQ including the last five as chief executive, said he had “reached the end” of his time.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much I have loved this job,” he said in a farewell note to the industry. “It is the most rewarding, consuming, dispiriting, overwhelming job imaginable.

“TQ is a marvellous place, filled with the most amazing creative people. It changes and grows every day. Now it is time for someone new to take the reins and take it to another place.”

During his tenure, Hayes faced numerous challenges, not only from a flat domestic market but more dramatically from a series of natural disasters that wreaked havoc on the tourism industry.

Hayes said he hoped his successor “times their run with the weather and natural disasters a little better than I did”.

Describing tourism as an “art not a science”, Hayes said TQ tried to “attack every opportunity.”

“Not everything worked perfectly all the time but geez, we had a red hot go. We tried to be different, we attacked every opportunity [and] we refused to lie down when the challenges kept coming.”

Leanne Coddington has taken over as acting chief executive while a permanent replacement is recruited.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]