Queen's MBE for John Hick, stalwart of park tourism

The Cornishman who helped shape the future of Britain's holiday parks industry by driving up quality standards has been recognised in the Queen's New Year's Honours list.

John Hick has been awarded an MBE for his services to tourism in his capacity as vice president of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA). John has been an active member of the park industry's official body for over forty years, and in 1986 helped create the national grading scheme which set new quality goals for the UK's 3000-plus holiday parks.

Born in Falmouth, John Hick (70) owns the acclaimed Pendra Loweth holiday village near Swanpool which his father, Gerald, established in 1950 - and which today provides more than 100 luxury cottages for rent. The 18-acre park, which includes a fully equipped leisure centre, has been praised by botanist David Bellamy for its work in protecting and enhancing the natural world.

John was following in his father's footsteps when he began his work with BH&HPA after taking over management of the family's park business in the mid-sixties. Initially a director of the association's Cornwall branch, he joined its main board in 1976 - and served as BH&HPA national chairman for two years from 1983.

It was during John's term of office that he helped spearhead a radical move to introduce a national system of assessing and grading holiday parks. Up until then, holidaymakers had to rely solely on each park's own measure of its standards - but under the proposed new scheme, independent tourist board inspectors would issue a star grading based on a comprehensive list of quality criteria.

Helping to formulate the system, and driving through its acceptance by parks and tourist boards, was a major task requiring all of John's considerable energies, diplomatic skills, commitment to the industry's best interests, and - not least - his celebrated sense of humour.

But what emerged was a method of benchmarking parks which was not only welcomed by the public, but also gave park owners a set of standards to which they could aspire. As such, the quality grading scheme championed by John Hick has been credited with helping to fashion today's highly successful parks industry in which 74 million annual bed-nights provide employment and an annual spend of almost £3 billion in mainly rural economies.

John's negotiating skills and determination to let his industry be allowed to develop even higher standards was also put to use at an international level. In 1985, he was appointed to serve as the UK's representative on the European federation of park businesses, and was the organisation's European president from 1994 to 1996. John's leadership qualities and ability to deal effectively at the highest level helped marshal the parks industry in 23 European countries, and gave them a voice within the EU at a political and policy-making level.

Although John stepped down from his European appointments in 2008, he still serves today as vice president of BH&HPA and sits on its national board. John's hands-on knowledge of running a successful holiday park business, and the prescience which led him to convince park owners that their industry's future lay in striving for ever-higher levels of quality, ensures that his opinions are still sought and respected by his peers.

In October last year, John Hick was honoured at the Cornwall Tourism Awards both for his work in parks industry, and for his "tireless efforts" since 1966 to successfully bring the prestigious Tall Ships events to Falmouth. John was given a special award for Outstanding Services to Tourism, and was praised at the ceremony for his determination and resolve which had brought many valuable benefits to the region.

Speaking of his new MBE, John said that it was a "fantastic honour" to have his work on behalf of British holiday parks recognised by the Queen: "Although the UK parks industry is huge, it is largely made up of smaller family-run businesses - and it is their owners who also deserve credit for adapting to change, and ensuring that families can enjoy high quality and good value holidays in all parts of Britain," commented John.