HF HOLIDAYS’ chief executive Peter Chapman has lashed out at
the Government’s handling of the foot and mouth crisis.
Chapman made the comments as the walking holiday specialists
revealed a loss of £850,000 for last year compared to profits of £550,000 the
year before.
The company has blamed the poor figures on the foot and
mouth crisis.
Chapman said: “This unexpected and unwelcome loss has put
back our maintenance programme by several years. As a major user of the
countryside, we were devastated by the closure of footpaths, and suffered many
hotel closures and employment problems.
“The measures taken by the Government were ill-thought out
and a complete fiasco in implementation. The Government has announced several
inquiries, but apparently none to address the issue of negligence and
responsibility.
“Support for the tourism industry has been piecemeal and not
directed to where it could do the most good, such as incentives to people to
stay in Britain rather than holiday abroad.”