Kennedy Park Top 10 Resort
“The sky is the limit for us,” says David Aflallo, Manager of Kennedy Park Top 10 Resort, the award-winning business that is breaking new ground for holiday parks and turning a profit for its owner, Napier City Council.

While Mr Aflallo stresses that the park’s success is down to the whole Kennedy Park team, the Israeli with a background in hotel management has encouraged all his staff to set goals and to think outside the traditional holiday park square.

Mining for business
Winner of the Holiday Park Award in the 2010 Tourism Industry Awards, one of the more innovative things Kennedy Park has done is grow a lucrative relationship with a mining company in New Caledonia.

Prior to Mr Aflallo’s arrival at Kennedy Park in 2005 the mining company had been sending one group of its employees’ children to the park each year for a holiday.

“When I started here I saw a business opportunity to extend the relationship and leverage from it.” He has worked closely on the project, travelling to New Caledonia to meet with the mine management. Kennedy Park staff have also taken it on themselves to ensure their New Caledonian guests have a great experience, including taking French lessons in order to improve communication, and organising an annual ‘staff versus the group’ soccer tournament and a final night performance.

From just one group from the mine visiting Kennedy Park at the outset, six group visits were organised in 2009/10, including 128 adults and 106 children. Nine groups are expected this summer season. Kennedy Park staff organise the entire itinerary, which includes visits to Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and the South Island as well as Napier. They now also organise similar holidays for mine employees and their children to Australia.

The venture has proved so successful Mr Aflallo has appointed a representative on the ground in New Caledonia who is working to replicate the mining company arrangement with other companies on the island.

Change for the better
Change has been an ongoing feature of Kennedy Park, which was established in 1937 as a motorcamp. During the war it was used by the army, and in the post-war years was used to provide transit accommodation for families awaiting permanent housing.

One significant change Mr Aflallo has implemented is to apply a hotel business model to Kennedy Park.

“Our way of doing things and operating is quite different to other holiday parks in New Zealand. The results are very positive,” says Mr Aflallo, who believes the model could be tweaked and applied even to small holiday parks – “anything is possible with an open mind”.

Today Kennedy Park is one of New Zealand’s largest holiday parks, with 91 rooms and 170 tent and powered sites.

“We have a bed to suit every budget, from upmarket villas to standard cabins to tent sites.”

Mr Aflallo says a lot of Kiwis mistakenly equate holiday parks with the camping grounds they stayed at years ago.

“While today’s holiday parks still provide the same sort of traditional holiday fun, they also offer a much wider range of quality accommodation options and facilities. There are many changes holiday parks have gone through, in particular, the range of roofed accommodation now on offer. Basically the biggest benefit and value for money is that guests can have everything in the one place – it’s a one stop shop.”

At Kennedy Park that includes a conference room and a restaurant and bar, as well as accommodation and a range of facilities, from playgrounds and a games room to a theatre and swimming pool.

Profitting Napier ratepayers
“We make a profit and that money goes back to our council owner and the ratepayers,” explains Mr Aflallo. “Kennedy Park absolutely highlights how beneficial a close relationship between tourism and councils is. Napier City Council understands the positive impact from tourism and the benefit. We are not just bringing our guests to the holiday park, they buy fuel and food and go shopping and enjoy attractions. It’s a ripple effect.”

Kennedy Park is also a major employer, providing jobs for up to 56 locals in the high season. The park is undergoing ongoing expansion and renovation, and Mr Aflallo says they use local suppliers to carry out this work, which also helps support the Napier economy.

Last year the council invested over $1 million in cabin/ensuites accommodation at the park. The new cabins/ensuites feature sustainable design and use materials which reflect Kennedy Park’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Kennedy Park was the first equal holiday park in New Zealand to achieve the Qualmark Enviro gold rating and has won awards for being a sustainable tourism business.

“Our guests like it. They see that we are helping the environment, and feel like the money they spend goes to a good cause. Environmental sustainability does not require a major financial investment, it’s more about educating staff and guests.

“Innovation is something we do on a daily basis at Kennedy Park. We always seek to be first, to be leaders in our sector.”

www.kennedypark.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media