Tommy Wallace is one of the owners at Pettycur Bay Holiday Park in Fife, Scotland.
According to a report, Wallace said that the holiday park is experiencing staff and supply chain problems. He blamed Covid-19 for the issues over the last 18 months. However, he also believes that Brexit is more likely to have had an effect.
“Staffing is the most pressing issue, with a shortage of experienced chefs, but other roles too,” he said.
“The costs of certain materials we use on the holiday park have rocketed, as have the costs of us buying holiday homes from the trade.”
Wallace also said they were faced with the dilemma of whether to pass that onto the consumers or not.
He urged the Scottish Government to take action as their day-to-day expenses are getting affected. Wallace has also criticized the government over “mixed messaging” during the pandemic. The ever-changing rules could confuse guests, he said.
“There was constant mixed messaging from those in charge with something like 68 changes to the hospitality industry rules and restrictions throughout the pandemic.”
“As a customer-facing business, our staff were the ones that had to explain rules to frustrated customers, so it was a real challenge.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said the government did everything it could to assist businesses throughout Brexit. The spokesperson also said that the new Covid-19 restrictions were needed to protect people.
“The Scottish Government is using all the levers at its disposal to help businesses cope with the impact of Brexit,” he said.
“These are an inevitable consequence of the UK Government decision to leave not just the EU but the single market and customs union, a move that Scottish people emphatically rejected at the EU referendum,” he added.
He also said that changes in restrictions were necessary as the pandemic has developed to keep people safe.
Pettycur Bay Holiday Park saw sales fall 17 percent to £4.3 million for the year that ended February 28, 2021. That’s lower than £5.2 million in 2020.
Pre-tax earnings climbed to £1.1 million, which is an increase from the £677,000 last year.
However, Wallace admitted that it was a “very challenging” time for any business in the industry.
He is convinced that the figures for the Fife caravan park will improve.
“We are hoping for a very good recovery,” he added.