North Wales Tourism has appointed Yvonne Jackson as an advisor to support the challenges that Hospitality, Travel and Leisure sectors might face post-pandemic and beyond. This aims to build and maintain a prosperous and sustainable tourism industry in North Wales.
Yvonne is Condor Hotels CEO and a ‘hands-on’ business consultant specialising in the Hotel and Leisure Industry. During her thirty-year career, Yvonne has held significant senior roles within Hospitality across the UK, including the prestigious Q Hotels, Hilton Hotels and DeVere Hotels.
The last few years have seen the Hospitality, Travel and Leisure industry on its knees across the UK due to covid. This was shortly followed by the removal of lockdown and re-opening of travelling overseas. This presented some opportunity for hotels benefiting from ongoing “staycations”, namely coastal and tourism-led venues. However, the post-covid demand in some locations has not yet quite returned to its pre-covid levels.
Yvonne has pointed out that things may not be as damaging as it seems, saying: “There are so many opportunities waiting to be taken, and there are so many positives to look at. Including the scheme offering government-backed loans to small businesses has been extended for two more years; Coastal and Leisure destination hotels have seen a huge boost in bookings – which we assume has been driven by the hot weather and the chaos we have seen at the airports and ferry ports.”
Having previously worked with North Wales Tourism on workshops assisting independent hospitality owners through the pandemic, Yvonne is keen to continue supporting local businesses. She is already working with various hotels across North Wales.
Talking about her appointment as an Advisor, she goes on to say:
“I am honoured to have been asked to take on the role of Advisor. Having worked in senior hospitality sector roles across the country, I now get the opportunity to use all of my experience and knowledge of the hospitality business in North Wales, which has also been my home for over 15 years.”
“We have seen some real challenges in North Wales during the past couple of years, but I can already see that we are on the upward trajectory. With the right direction and experience, there is no stopping us from making continuous improvements for tourism, which has already seen a boom under the current economy – we just need to keep that momentum moving.
Christopher Frost, who is the Chair for North Wales Tourism, has said:
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Yvonne Jackson to be an adviser to the NWTB following her nomination at the AGM earlier in the year; Yvonne will bring a wealth of experience in the hotel and leisure industry working with businesses large and small, and we look forward to her input to continue to promote our wonderful region through our marketing arm Go North Wales.
North Wales Tourism is the backbone of the industry here in North Wales, and we have worked hard supporting our members through very challenging times; I’m sure Yvonne will be a great help in addressing the industry’s challenges as we recover from the pandemic.”
