Tourism News
Wyndham Exchange & Rentals to acquire Hoseasons
Wyndham Worldwide announced on 22 February that its Exchange & Rentals business unit has agreed to acquire Hoseasons Holdings Ltd from HgCapital and a number of individual parties. Hoseasons provides a wide range of holiday offerings in over 15,000 lodges, cottages, villas, caravans and boats across seven European countries.
The acquisition price is approximately $60 million, net of estimated cash acquired. The transaction is subject to the consent of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which the companies hope to obtain before the end of the first quarter. Wyndham Worldwide expects this acquisition to be accretive in 2011.
Wyndham’s European rentals business includes English Country Cottages, Scottish Country Cottages, cottages4you, Welcome Cottages, Chez Nous and Canvas Holidays in the UK, and Landal GreenParks, Novasol, Dansommer and Cuendet across Northern, Central and Southern Europe. These brands have a combined portfolio of over 60,000 holiday properties located in over 20 European countries.
“The purchase of Hoseasons is a great example of how we are deploying a portion of our free cash flow to supplement organic growth with opportunistic acquisitions” said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO, Wyndham Worldwide. “Hoseasons offers a strong strategic fit with our European rentals business and an attractively-priced opportunity to continue to grow our fee-for-service businesses.”
Geoff Ballotti, CEO, Wyndham Exchange & Rental said “Hoseasons business complements Wyndham’s existing rentals brands in terms of product offering, customer service and values. This acquisition enables us to provide European vacationers with a great selection of inventory, all backed by Wyndham Worldwide, one of the most trusted names in vacation rentals.”
Ian Ailles, Managing Director, European Rentals, Wyndham Exchange & Rentals said: “The addition of Hoseasons to our existing portfolio of independent holiday accommodation brands means we can offer customers the complete range of holiday experiences in Europe; the addition of the UK holiday parks completes our suite of holiday offerings.”
Cadw Goes Free for St David’s Day
Cadw is marking St David’s Day by offering free admission once again to all it’s directly managed and jointly managed monuments on the Monday.
Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones said “I am delighted to continue the St David’s Day free entry initiative. We hope many more people will take this opportunity to visit a site in Cadw’s care and appreciate for themselves the magnificence of Wales’ historic environment”.
US Ryder Cup team to fly into Cardiff
The Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones, has announced a deal which will see the defending US Ryder Cup team enter the UK via Cardiff Airport, when they arrive later this year for the tournament at The Celtic Manor Resort between 1 and 3 October.
He finalised an agreement with the Chief Executive of The PGA of America, who are responsible for overseeing arrangements for the visiting team, during his recent trip to the PGA Golf Merchandise Show, held in Orlando.
The biennial Ryder Cup contest is recognised as one of the top ten global sporting events, which is followed by hundreds of millions of people around the world, and there has been much speculation as to how the US team would travel. Arriving in the UK via Cardiff is seen as an important moment in their journey, which is likely to attract considerable interest. The US team will fly in on the 27 September and return home from Cardiff Airport on the 4 October.
Alun Ffred Jones said “This is the first time that Wales has hosted The Ryder Cup so we felt it was important that the American team actually land in Wales to start their trip.”
Brecon Beacons taxi drivers in the know
On 18 February, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority successfully delivered its first pilot training scheme for local taxi drivers designed to boost the local transport industry and give visitors more than just a ride to their destination.
In what is believed to be the first of its kind for UK National Parks, more than a dozen local taxi drivers attended the pilot scheme named ‘National Park Knowledge’ held at the Heritage Centre, in Brecon Cathedral.
With funding provided by Brecon Beacons NPA’s Sustainable Development Fund and a partnership of Local Authorities, the course focused on offering visitors a helpful ride to their destination, with information on local activities and attractions, festivals and events, the main walking routes, guides to the National Park and advice on which car parks are regularly used by walkers.
News in Brief
The Really Welsh Festival - Now in its third year the Really Welsh Festival brings together some of the very best food and drink producers in Wales right in the centre of Cardiff; the three day event is being held outside the Capitol Shopping Centre in Queen Street from 26 to 28 February.
9th annual “Cawl Cooking Championships of the World…and Elsewhere” will be taking place in Saundersfoot on 27 February and some 400 – 500 people are expected to take part in the trail around the Pembrokeshire village tasting cawl and casting their vote for the Cawl Champion. The championships are part of the two day St David’s Food Festival (27 & 28 February) which is held on the harbourside and features stalls and cooking demonstrations.
Cardiff/Anglesey Air Route – BBC News reported on 18 February that Board members of the company that operate this service, Highland Airways, were “cautiously optimistic” about the company’s future. At that time, the airline’s web site stated that “Highland Airways are now taking bookings for all flights up until the end of March. Flights for April and beyond will be released for sale soon. Please check back regularly if the flight you wish to book is not currently available”.
Carmarthenshire on your doorstep – Following on from the success of Carmarthenshire Tourism Association’s campaigns in the previous two years, they are again running “Carmarthenshire...On your Doorstep” in partnership with the County Council. The campaign kicks off on 27 February at the On your Doorstep Festival in Carmarthen town - with a marquee on Guildhall Square, packed full with ideas of places to visit and things to do in Carmarthenshire.
James Purnell – The MP for Stalybridge and Hythe and former DCMS Secretary for State has announced that he will not be standing for re-election at the forthcoming General Election.
King Arthur’s Labyrinth – A photo of one of the guides sailing the underground boat into the Labyrinth at Corris will be one of the images used on all the publicity posters for British Tourism Week.
Guestlink Cymru are hosting FREE training workshops
Guestlink Cymru are hosting FREE training workshops in your area to assist you in updating your trade details on Visit Wales.com websites.
This hands-on training will cover-
- Introduction to Guestlink
- Logging onto your account
- Familiarisation of Guestlink
- Updating your Details, Images, Pricing and Events.
Each day will be split into 3 sessions-
- 9.30am-11.30am for Self-Catering providers
- 12pm-2pm for Serviced Accommodation providers
- 2.30pm-4.30pm for Attractions/Venues
Please see below venue locations and dates in your area-
South & Mid Wales
| Tuesday 16th March | Swansea | Swansea Business College |
| Wednesday 17th March | Carmarthen | National Botanic Gardens |
| Thursday18th March | Monmouth | Coleg Gwent LearnIT Centre |
| Tuesday 23rd March | Cardigan | St Dogmaels Coach House Visitor Centre |
| Wednesday 24th March | Builth Wells | Antur Gwy Conference Centre |
| Thursday 25th March | Machynlleth | Ganolfan Hyddgen |
North Wales
| Tuesday 20th April | Ruthin | Llysfasi College |
| Wednesday 21st April | Llandudno or Pwllheli | (tbc) |
| Thursday 22nd April | Bangor | Bangor University - Management Centre |
To make a booking please complete the following online registration form
http://www.guestlink.co.uk/enewsletters/GuestLinkWalesTraining/GL-wales-training.aspx