Pontins has issued an apology to Gypsy and Traveller communities after an investigation by the equality watchdog uncovered discriminatory practices by the holiday park operator.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) served Pontins with an unlawful act notice in February after an investigation found practices aimed at barring Irish Travellers from its holiday parks between 2013 and 2018.
In response to the investigation Pontins, which is owned by Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, has apologised to the Gypsy and Traveller communities and described its practices as “clearly wrong”.
A spokesperson for Pontins said on Monday: “On behalf of the owners, directors, senior managers and all of us here at Pontins, we would like to reiterate our apologies regarding the serious issues raised by the EHRC in their report.
“In particular we want to apologise directly to the Traveller and Gypsy community. The refusal to allow guests to stay at our parks because we suspected they were Irish Travellers was clearly wrong.”
The spokesperson added: “We accept the serious nature of the issues raised in the report. We deeply regret any distress caused, particularly to members of the Traveller and Gypsy communities who have been directly affected.”
The findings from the EHRC investigation, which was published earlier this year, found Pontins had been involved in 11 unlawful acts including retaining a list of Irish surnames titled “undesirable guests”, monitoring calls as well as refusing or cancelling bookings made by people with an Irish accent or surname.
The commission also found Pontins introduced rules requiring guests to appear on the electoral register. This was deemed a “disguised form of discrimination” against Gypsies and Travellers as such communities are less likely to be on the register, according to the EHRC.
The apology issued by Pontins marks the first step of the action plan developed and monitored by the EHRC to tackle race discrimination against Irish Travellers.
The plan will include monitoring Pontins booking policies, the introduction of safeguards in systems and processes, a whistleblower action plan and engagement with Traveller communities.
A Pontins spokesperson said the holiday operator was “fully committed” to the action plan and “ensuring ongoing compliance with the Equality Act 2010”.
The equality watchdog was forced to launch the formal investigation in 2022 after Pontins failed to comply with the terms of a legally binding agreement to tackle discrimination in 2021. The EHRC was made aware of the “undesirable guest” list by a whistleblower the year before.
In response to the investigation the campaigns officer at Friends, Families and Travellers, Chris McDonagh, said in February: “It is deeply saddening that Irish Traveller people have become so used to hate and prejudice that the Pontins ‘blacklist’ did not come as a surprise.”
The chair of the EHRC, Kishwer Falkner, responded to the apology issued by Pontins on Monday, saying: “Race and ethnicity should never be a barrier to going on holiday.
“Pontins has today apologised to the Irish Traveller community it discriminated against and has begun work to introduce strict safeguards and guarantee a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination.”
Lady Falkner said she hoped the investigation would reassure those affected that the EHRC would hold companies to account.
“The wider holiday sector should ensure that their policies and procedures do not breach equality law. Our investigation report recommended removal of electoral roll terms and conditions across the sector,” she said.
