JIM FORWARD has taken the reins of the Hoburne Group
The Hoburne Group has confirmed the appointment of Riviera Travel chief commercial officer Jim Forward as its new CEO. He will take over from Rod Tucker, who will be retiring from his position of managing director at the end of this year after seven years of leading the family- run business.
Forward has worked in the holiday sector for over 25 years and has held senior management positions at companies including HF Holidays,Warner Leisure Hotels and Butlins.Most recently, as chief commercial officer of Riviera Travel, Jim has taken his team and the business through the challenges of COVID while maintaining his strong commitment to doing the right thing for customers, an approach that Hoburne has also taken through the pandemic.
“Hoburne has a fantastic history and as a family-run company, it genuinely believes in respect and integrity,” said Jim. “From my experience of meeting with team members, I am already impressed by their enthusiasm and concerted efforts to offer an outstanding level of customer service.”
THE RWST holiday lodge park in North Wales opened to guests this summer.
The picturesque North Wales market town of Llanrwst is welcoming the launch of ‘Rwst’, a luxurious new holiday lodge park. The £1.8m development opened its doors to its first guests in July, just as North Wales topped the charts as the UK’s most popular staycation destination, overtaking the coastal and rural charms of Devon and Cornwall for the first time, according to a survey by Sykes Holiday Cottages. Rwst occupies a prime location on the edge of the historic town, with scenic views across the River Conwy to the Gwydir Forest and Snowdonia mountains beyond. The park, which is a high-end redevelopment of the much-loved Trem Gwydir holiday village, includes 22, five-star holiday lodges, with one, two, and three-bedroom single-storey lodges available for holiday rentals
13th May, 2020: The UK’s largest holiday park operator, Parkdean Resorts, has provided free accommodation to front-line NHS workers during the Coronavirus crisis.
After government instruction in March, the company’s 67 parks shut down, and were left empty, save for a handful of key security and maintenance staff on each park. With caravans and lodges available, Parkdean Resorts took the decision to contact local healthcare authorities to offer free accommodation on selected parks to NHS key workers in need of a convenient place to stay at the end of their shifts, or living with any vulnerable or at-risk family members.
So far, free accommodation has been offered to NHS workers at four parks across the country: Torquay, Whitley Bay in Northumberland, Vauxhall in Great Yarmouth, and Southview in Skegness. In total, the four parks have housed more than fifty key workers for a total of more than 1000 nights, with a total value of over £70,000.
Rob Warner, Operations Director for Parkdean Resorts said: “The vast majority of our teams live locally to our parks so they’ve been keen to give back to the local community and in particular to support NHS staff who have been doing such an incredible job throughout the Coronavirus crisis. As our own small way of showing our thanks and appreciation for all they have been doing, we were happy to offer our park facilities for free to support key workers.”
NHS Community support worker, Stephanie Head, was one of the key workers who took advantage of Parkdean Resorts’ offer of free accommodation, at Torquay. She said: “Due to living with my parents who are in their 70s, I had to find temporary accommodation to keep them safe. I cannot thank Parkdean and their staff enough for making this possible! The overall experience was perfect. The staff were friendly and helpful, and I could not fault the accommodation.”
NHS Operating Department Practitioner, Mark Simpson, stayed at Whitley Bay, adding, “I have three young children at home, who have been worried about the situation. I cannot thank Parkdean enough, their staff have been very friendly and the overall experience has been amazing.”
And NHS Pharmacist, Samuel Tsui, was grateful to be able to stay at Vauxhall: “I had come down to Norfolk to cover NHS Staff shortages in the area for a week. I had been struggling to find accommodation until I came across Vauxhall Holiday Park! I really can’t thank Parkdean Resorts enough. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, the park was very secure with locked gates and the caravan I stayed had everything I needed and was very comfortable, this allowed me to self- isolate efficiently and get a good night’s rest after a long day at work. Thank you, Vauxhall, for opening your doors for NHS staff in these uncertain times!”
Throughout the lockdown, many of Parkdean Resorts’ holiday park teams have also shown support for their local communities by donating tens of thousands of pounds worth of unused food to local foodbanks and charities.
Parkdean Resorts is the UK’s largest operator of caravan, lodge, cabin, glamping and camping holiday resorts, and was named Best UK Family Holiday Company 2019 at the British Travel Awards, the UK’s biggest opinion poll for travel and tourism in the country. Earlier this year, the company announced an investment of over £80million in its business across Britain.
The annual Beaulieu show gives both trade and public visitors the opportunity to see the latest and best that the major manufacturers within the industry have to offer and to examine the designs and luxurious accommodation available for the new season.The show is held on the Beaulieu Estate in Hampshire where they are joined by others for the Southern Caravan Trade Show on September 26th and the public show on the three following days. This the largest show of its type in southern England and provides a great opportunity for manufacturers and parks to showcase their latest products to the many thousands of visitors. The shows are run by HERCMA (the Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Caravan Manufacturers’ Association).
They say you should always save the best to last, so we finish this preview with The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation show, providing leisure and resort industry professionals with an unparalleled opportunity to network and bring new revenue and diversification to their business. This is the trade event to help holiday business owners grow, expand and evolve. The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation show really is your one-stop event for industry leaders, world class speakers and 1-2-1 networking opportunities. Show Highlights: • 7,000 attendees of key businesses and industry decision makers • 400 industry leading exhibitors • 170 seminars from industry experts including Park Evolution, FSC UK, Wifinity and Wyldecrest Parks, plus many more! • Exceptional networking and business opportunities including the chance\ to speak directly with business influencers • Advice and guidance on all areas of business, from marketing and PR to planning and finances
Want to know the best part? It is absolutely FREE! Free tickets to attend the show can be registered for via the Holiday Park & Resort Innovation show website.
