8 September 2026: KPAT Hotels has backed calls from the Queensland Tourism Industry Council today for the Federal Government to clarify proposed Working Holiday Maker visa changes and consult with industry before altering Working Holiday Maker settings.
The hospitality and tourism company has raised concerns about potential further changes to temporary visa settings, warning that restricting Working Holiday Maker pathways could undermine the workforce capacity needed to support the state’s growing tourism industry.
While no decision has been announced to shorten general visitor visa periods or remove access to second and third Working Holiday Maker visas, they say the potential consequences for tourism and hospitality need to be considered before any changes are made.
The concern comes as businesses are already experiencing uncertainty within the existing system. The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed longer-than-usual processing times for Working Holiday subclass 417 and Work and Holiday subclass 462 applications, while most capped first-year subclass 462 country streams are currently paused or managed through ballot arrangements. Second and third subclass 462 visas remain uncapped under existing settings.
KPAT Hotels Managing Director Kenneth Wagner said Queensland could not pursue ambitious tourism growth and infrastructure investment without considering the workforce required to support it.
“Queensland can build all the hotel rooms it wants, but those hotels still need people to operate them,” Wagner said.
“We are raising this now because there is a real risk that decisions made to address a headline migration number could have unintended consequences for tourism businesses, the visitor economy and the investment Queensland is trying to attract.
“No decision has been made on further changes, and that is exactly why the industry needs to be part of the conversation before those decisions are taken.”
KPAT develops, owns and operates accommodation and hospitality businesses across five Queensland locations, comprising approximately 600 hotel rooms and eight commercial hotel licences.
Its portfolio spans hotels, restaurants, bars and hospitality venues across regional, coastal and metropolitan markets, giving the group direct exposure to workforce pressures across the industry.
“As an owner and operator of hospitality businesses across Queensland, we see firsthand how important workforce availability is to the capacity of a hotel, restaurant or venue to perform,” Wagner said.
“Working Holiday Makers are an important part of that workforce mix. They work across kitchens, restaurants, bars, housekeeping, events and hotel operations, and many also bring valuable hospitality experience into Australian businesses.
“If those pathways are materially reduced, the impact will not just be felt in recruitment. It can affect how much capacity businesses can put into market, the standard of service they can provide and ultimately their confidence to invest and grow.”
Earlier this year, KPAT opened the 180-room Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel, the first full-service internationally branded hotel to open on the Sunshine Coast in more than four decades. The project was positioned by KPAT as an example of private investment responding to Queensland’s need for additional tourism accommodation ahead of 2032.
Wagner said there needed to be consistency between government efforts to encourage tourism investment and policies affecting the workforce required to operate those assets.
“Governments are rightly asking the private sector to invest in the accommodation and tourism infrastructure Queensland will need over the coming decade,” he said.
“It makes little sense to ask businesses to invest in new tourism capacity while considering changes that could make it harder for those same businesses to access the workforce needed to operate it.
“We absolutely need to develop local talent, invest in training and build stronger long-term hospitality careers for Australians. But international workers remain an important part of a balanced workforce, particularly in an industry that experiences strong seasonal and geographic fluctuations in demand.”
“You cannot solve Queensland’s tourism capacity challenge by building rooms without building the workforce to run them.”
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The Comms People provides strategic communications, public relations and media relations support to Kpat Hotels. For more information and images, please contact Jennifer or Heather at The Comms. People:
Jennifer Swaine | 0438952830 | jen@commspeople.au
Heather Mollins | 0412421411 | heather@commspeople.au