CHRISTCHURCH holiday park Hoburne Park have appealed to guests to respect the local area and its residents after reopening on Saturday July 4.

Like every holiday park operator, Hoburne Park was enforced to close its park on March 23, furloughing 90 per cent of its staff.

While the holiday park was closed, the small team on park worked hard to ensure it complies with the required standards for the ‘We’re Good to Go’ scheme implemented by Visit Britain, completing the risk assessments set out by the government regarding social distancing and cleanliness protocols.

Commenting on the reopening, the park’s general manager, Dave Absalom, said he was “delighted” with how smoothly the reopening went.

He added: “During the lockdown, we worked extremely hard to ensure that we had all the correct procedures in place to keep our guests and teams safe, but there is only so much you can prepare for.

“When we reopened on July 4, our teams were excited but also nervous, the way we now operate is different to what our holiday homeowners and holidaymakers would normally expect, however, everyone was very patient and supportive of the new measures.”

In line with the request from local MPs that tourism businesses ensure guests respect the local area, Hoburne Park took it upon itself to communicate to all of its holiday homeowners and holidaymakers to ensure that when they visit, not only must they respect the local area, but also those living within the local community.

Dave added: “As a family-run business, we work closely with our local community, so acknowledging this was very important to us.

“However, we also understand the importance of tourism, especially as we now enter the peak summer season.

“Holiday parks are perfect for social distancing, and although we will remain cautious, we will continue to ensure that we keep our guests safe.”

Hoburne has eight holiday parks across the south, south west and Cotswold, offering high quality holiday experiences and holiday home ownership.