SA hotels gear up for Melbourne Cup day frenzy
Hotelier Peter Hurley at the Alma Hotel. Pic Mark Brake.Source: News Corp Australia
THE South Australian hotels industry has dismissed public sentiment to make Melbourne Cup day a holiday as local venues gear up to cash in on its “best food and beverage day” tomorrow.
Industry veteran and owner of 12 hotels around South Australia Peter Hurley said all hands were on deck for one of its busiest days.
”It’s a big food and busy bar day and it has been growing from year to year.
“Every year, there are some with the bright idea to make it a public holiday, but look at what happens to Melbourne because of that.”
“It’s terrible there because everyone’s headed to Flemington or away for the weekend and most places are closed.
“It would be terrible to shut down such a big party day for South Australia and as most hotels would agree, our best food and beverage day, ” Mr Hurley said.
Australian Hotels Association (SA) chief executive Ian Horne described Melbourne Cup Day as the “starters gun” for the sector.
“In Adelaide (it) is the signal for the start of the festive season.
“Hospitality operators, whether hotels, bars, cafes or restaurants rely heavily on the increased trade that come with summer months and a lifting of the winter gloom,” Mr Horne said.
The economic impact is significant for this Tuesday with high demand for food, beverage, taxis, TAB betting, fashion sales, etc.
He said the event provided a boost to meat, poultry and seafood producers, as well as producers of goods such as cheeses, fresh fruit and bakeries. etc.
“Of the several millions of dollars that will be spent on food and beverage on the day, around 42 per cent will go as wages and employment costs which will reflect in State payroll tax,” Mr Horne said.
He said making the day a public holiday would “totally kill off any economic benefit that is generated”.
“Leave the Cup alone! It is an important commercial event that is the spring board for what all hope will be a profitable summer,” Mr Horne said.
Separately, Mr Hurley also said city-centric vibrancy had been great for Adelaide’s image, but more needed to be done to boost population growth so the suburbs didn’t feel left out.
“You can’t argue with the sentiment of city vibrancy, but it needs growth in the number of people, especially high-income singles.”
“Manufacturing is going, Olympic Dam boost didn’t happen, the mining bubble has burst. We need to get smarter about how we do things.”
His business Hurley Group owns or part-owns the Alma Tavern at Norwood, the Arkaba Hotel at Fullarton, the Golden Grove Tavern, Hackney Hotel, Hotel Royal Torrensville, Kensington Hotel, Marion Hotel, Murray Bridge Hotel, Port Lincoln Hotel, Pretoria Hotel, Tonsley Hotel and the Torrens Arms Hotel.
“If you can’t have population growth, it equates to turning out the lights in your suburbs,” he said.
Mr Hurley is a long-term director of the Adelaide Football Club and holds a number of board positions and was recently inducted in the Australian Hotels Association’s national hall of fame - an industry honour for his contribution to the hospitality sector over nearly 40 years.
Source: news.com.au - 2nd November 2014
