Concerns have been raised over the high level of schoolies being targeted by party tour organisers hoping to book them into wild pub crawls.
Goldcoast.com.au reported that sales staff have been seen scouting school leavers and are being spotted on almost every street corner during the annual November schoolies season. Some school leavers said the sales teams were “annoying and hassling”.
Accommodation organiser Schoolies.com and Red Frogs Australia have called for tighter controls when it comes to tour organisers preying on young adults.
Using high-pressure tactics, sales teams are successfully locking teens into the organised tours, convincing them to put down an on-the-spot deposit. Having already laid down some money, school leavers are reluctant to give the tour a miss.
The major concern is that these tour operators care very little about the safety of these teens, concentrating more on earning money. Red Frogs Australia national coordinator Andrew Gourley claims that the tour organisers are pumping schoolies with alcohol and then not sticking around to clean up the mess.
For many teens, schoolies is the first time they have been away from their parents and Schoolies.com boss Matt Lloyd believes that not all are properly equipped to handle such pressure from relentless organisers. Lloyd said that sales teams are literally saying anything to try a secure a booking.
The Gold Coast has long been associated with supporting teen drinking and organisers are getting frustrated, believing it’s about time the pub and club owners act responsible.
Source:http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2013/09/13/458081_gold-coast-news.html
