The oldest independent holiday letting company in Wales, North Wales Holiday Cottages, has appointed a new Head of Marketing & Growth in Thom James to take on responsibility of capitalising on an ever-growing short term rental market and helping to drive sustainable tourism practices in the region.

North Wales has been a key destination for tourism for decades, and the independently owned North Wales Holiday Cottages was established in 1966 and has been serving local communities all over North Wales for over 50 years. Today it is run by the Griffiths family, which took over in 1996.

Having worked for many established short-term rental businesses in Wales, the new Head of Marketing has joined off the back of a spell working for Awaze, who run large travel brands cottages.com and Hoseasons, amongst others.

James said: “I am delighted to be joining such an amazing company with a rich history in the Welsh tourism industry. NWHC plays a significant role in the community and the region of North Wales as a whole. The goal is to be able to grow the business sustainably, whilst keeping local communities,’ people, and families in mind, and working to benefit the region. The area of North Wales, its majesty and its history are there to be treasured and explored, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Sustainable and measured growth is a key topic where North Wales Holiday Cottages feel they have a huge role to play in the North Wales region. Second home ownership in Wales, and in the North Wales region especially has become a very divisive topic when it comes to housing and impact on local communities, and the Welsh government have already proposed and implemented measures aimed at redressing these issues, with more planned changes on the way.

Barbara Griffiths, who runs North Wales Holiday Cottages, has said: “We agree that there is a problem to address regarding the issues about housing in the local communities. The major difference is that holiday letting and second home ownership are too often tarred with the same brush.”

“Those who own second homes may only use them a few weeks a year and then they remain empty, whereas owners who decide to holiday let are contributing to the local communities where many people live and work. There is no easy solution to this issue – no silver bullet – because North Wales relies on tourism.”

“We need to adapt and find a real balance within the industry which will allow both local communities and tourism to prosper. We have some ambitious plans for the company that will really benefit both new and established owners in the coming years, and strengthening our team with someone like Thom, who knows the industry is a significant step in the right direction.”

North Wales Holiday Cottages are based in North Wales, with their head office in Deganwy, which looks out across River Conwy, and over to the majestic Conwy Castle. Proud to be run by locals and for locals, they have long been one of the longest running independent holiday letting businesses in Wales, but with recent sale of many smaller brands, the team at North Wales Holiday Cottages are excited to be able to call themselves Wales’ oldest independent holiday letting brand, as they continue to serve local owners with all their holiday letting needs via their website, northwalesholidaycottages.co.uk.