Three million commercial overnight stays and 800 new jobs.
That is the target for tourism in Lolland-Falster by 2030. But if the extra visitors are also to translate into more businesses, higher revenue and more jobs, the sector will need more workers.
And they may not be easy to find.
- It is a general trend across the business community that finding qualified workers can be a challenge, and that also applies to tourism in Lolland-Falster, says Lindy Kjøller, Destination Manager at Visit Lolland-Falster.
The challenge comes at a time when Denmark’s hotel and restaurant industry is growing. The sector now employs just over 141,000 wage earners, the highest number ever recorded, but that growth has also intensified the competition for staff, according to figures from the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
The organisation also points out that 23 per cent of businesses in accommodation and food services say that labour shortages are limiting their output. In July, the figure was 26 per cent.
- As things stand today, companies have to spend far too many resources on finding new employees, says Lars Ramme Nielsen, Industry Director at the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
In Lolland-Falster, the situation varies from one business to another. According to Lindy Kjøller, some companies are not experiencing major difficulties, while others have to work much harder to make staffing levels and shift schedules add up.
- Competition for workers is also intense, so each company needs to make itself attractive both to recruit staff and to retain the employees that the tourism industry needs, he says.
That makes staffing a key issue for a sector that already plays a major role in the local economy. Tourism generates annual revenue of around DKK 3.9 billion in Lolland-Falster and supports more than 3,600 jobs.
