Herefordshire park owner seeks clarity from Government

The Managing Director of Herefordshire's largest country park is calling for a clear concise message from government to enable would be holiday makers to have their spirits lifted during lockdown.

Glenn Jones from Discover Parks, runs three holiday destinations in Herefordshire, and is involved with the county's covid tourism recovery.

He says last month Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced he'd booked his summer holiday in Cornwall. This week the Transport Secretary Grant Chapps is advising people not to plan their summer break just yet.

"It's very frustrating, the messages coming forward are confusing and unclear, they seem to change in an instant, there is no consistency and nothing for the average person to look forward to." says Glenn.  

His three holiday country parks in the County are already receiving record numbers of calls from people unsure about whether to make the plunge to book or not.

"They're worried they will commit themselves to a well deserved break and then find they'll be prevented from coming", says Glenn. " The message from us is clear, book now to guarantee a space, if the travel restrictions aren't lifted, have your money back or roll your booking on. Whilst we appreciate these are unprecedented times there has to be some positive moves made in order to lift public moral."

Glenn went on to say that once the cork is out of the bottle there'll be huge demand so it would be better for everyone if the UK Tourism Industry were allowed to promote what their business has on offer in plenty of time.

"We pride ourselves on having glorious Herefordshire countryside here at Discover Parks, our selling point doesn't need too much shouting about, we are 'Safe, Spacious & Green', which is what most people are looking for right now as they are prevented from travelling abroad."