Holiday parks are “vital” to visitor economy, says MP
Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier has helped celebrate Worcestershire tourism at one of the county’s most highly-rated holiday parks, Lickhill Manor near Stourport-on-Severn.
Mr Garnier made his visit during English Tourism Week, and told the owners of the business that they were making a vital contribution to the region’s economy.
The March event is designed to put the spotlight on England’s £106 billion tourism sector, of which £6.4 billion is spent annually in the West Midlands.
Mr Garnier took a tour of the park with Lickhill Manor directors Denis and Karen Lloyd Jones whose family enterprise, Hillandale Caravan Parks, began 70 years ago.
Today, Hillandale has grown to seven award-winning holiday parks located in tranquil locations in Worcestershire, Shropshire, Mid Wales and the Welsh coast.
Over the years, the MP heard, the family has invested much time and energy into creating high quality surroundings and up-to-the-minute facilities for holiday guests.
Mr Garnier also inspected a modern motorhome which, said Denis Lloyd Jones, represented an increasingly popular style of “staycation” experience for many people.
He told the MP that in 2017 his park had provided an estimated 68,000 holiday bed-nights with guests’ spending helping to sustain a raft of local businesses.
Lickhill Manor is based in 65 acres of quiet countryside alongside the River Severn, and has won several national and regional awards for its first-class standards.
They include a five-star quality grading from VisitEngland, a Platinum Loo of the Year award, and the David Bellamy Conservation Gold Award for the park’s many wildlife friendly initiatives.
Mr Garnier said that enterprises such as Lickhill Manor had an important role to play in supporting smaller businesses and helping to sustain local jobs:
“The tourism and leisure industry is a vital component of the Wyre Forest economy,” said Mr Garnier after his visit.
“The region attracts many visitors each year from the West Midlands as well as from the UK as a whole, and has much to offer holidaymakers.
“Caravan Parks like Lickhill Manor are vital to local retailers, attractions, and food and beverage businesses, for the influx of visitors that they bring to the area,” he added.
Denis Lloyd Jones, who is helped in the running of the business by sons James and Charles, said he was delighted that Mr Garnier was able to come and help champion local tourism at Lickhill Manor.
