Job Cuts at Australia Zoo

Management at Australia Zoo have sacked 22 workers, and asked others to take unpaid leave and job share.

According to the Sunshine Coast Daily, zoo management blamed the job losses on a drop in visitor numbers due to the floods and the global economic crisis.

Only last week Sunshine Coast Destination Chief Exexcutive Michael Denton pleaded with industry bosses to do all they could to ride out the tough times, stating "when the tourism industry catches a cold, the rest of the Coast sneezes.

"If jobs are lost it will have a serious ripple effect. We are urging people to get online, book a holiday to the Sunshine Coast, to Queensland."

Sunshine Coast Destination spokes woman Karen Doane said no amount of crisis management and creative marketing could fully prepare for the disaster aftermath, adding "in the wake of massive media attention, the perception has been that the Coast has been flood-affected and that having a holiday here would prove difficult if not impossible.

"(Sunshine Coast) Destination feels for any business that has had to make the difficult decision to make staff redundant in order to preserve their long-term sustainability.

"What we can and are doing now is to take affirmative action to reverse the perception that the Coast is not open for business.

"We have campaigns in media, we are in daily contact with international and domestic travel journalists as well as other key industry."

The Australia Zoo sackings equal about 5% of its 450-strong workforce.

Tourism contributes about $1.56 billion to the Sunshine Coast economy each year and directly provides one in every five jobs.

Image: Steve Irwin ad Australia Zoo prior to his death.

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