Queensland's tourism industry, a vital economic driver, constantly grapples with the challenge of workforce management. Fluctuating visitor numbers, driven by seasonality, events, and other unpredictable factors, make accurate staffing forecasts incredibly difficult, leading to costly overstaffing or understaffing that compromises the visitor experience. Localis, with support from the Advance Queensland’s Private Sector Pathways program, has developed a solution: the AI-Powered Workforce Demand Optimiser.
Staffing in a fluctuating environment
Tourism operators often struggle to accurately predict their staffing needs. This difficulty, frequently highlighted in discussions with the industry and recognised by the Department of Tourism, is exacerbated by seasonal variations, special events, and unpredictable fluctuations in visitor numbers. The result is a lose-lose situation: overstaffing impacts profitability, while understaffing damages the visitor experience and potentially the state's reputation.
Data-driven workforce planning
The AI-Powered Workforce Demand Optimiser offers a data-driven approach to workforce planning. This AI-powered platform integrates diverse data sets—from historical transactions and accommodation bookings to event schedules and real-time trends—to predict demand with high accuracy. This provides predictive forecasting, optimised scheduling, real-time analytics, and an intuitive interface for seamless integration, empowering tourism operators to make informed staffing decisions.
From development to deployment
The project progressed with the aid of funding from the Private Sector Pathways program:
- The platform was rigorously developed and tested to ensure accuracy and reliability.
- A pilot program with select tourism operators, including Village Roadshow and the Gold Coast Convention Centre, provided invaluable real-world feedback and validated the platform's effectiveness.
- The system was rolled out and marketed across Queensland, generating significant interest at events like DestinationQ and leading to key partnerships with major tourism operators, Destination Management Organisations, and the Queensland Tourism Industry Council.
Benefits to Queensland’s tourism industry
The Optimiser improves efficiency by enabling optimised staffing, enhances service delivery by ensuring adequate staff, empowers data-driven decision-making, supports industry growth, and ultimately contributes to the state's economic prosperity.
Private Sector Pathways program
The Private Sector Pathways program is an Advance Queensland initiative designed to foster innovation and drive economic growth by supporting collaborations between government and industry. This project received a $50,000 contribution enabling Localis to address this critical industry need.
Future directions
Looking ahead, Localis Technologies will scale the platform through marketing partnerships, collaborate with QTIC for broader reach, enhance functionality based on user feedback, and explore market expansion beyond Queensland.
This project, a successful outcome of the Advance Queensland Private Sector Pathways program, showcases the power of innovation in driving growth and sustainability in Queensland's vital tourism sector, offering a data-driven solution to a longstanding industry challenge.
Discover more about the Private Sector Pathways program and the Corporate Innovation Network and stay up to date with challenges by subscribing to the Advance Queensland Newsletter.
Last updated: 12 Mar 2025