Is the Loony left now running Welsh tourism?
A recent Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions (WAVA) survey showed that
47% of WAVA members saw less visitors in 2022 compared to the 2019 pre-
Covid season and 60% of members were pessimistic about the coming
season. The recent February half-term was also disappointing for attractions that opened with 29% indicating they had less visitors than in 2022.
Ashford Price, Chairman of ‘Dan Yr Ogof’, The National Showcaves Centre for
Wales said
When asked to comment on the survey results –
“The results from over 100 of the leading attractions in Wales should ring
alarm bells within the Welsh Government as it shows fewer visitors are coming
into parts of Wales. Welsh tourism is still trying to recover from the Pandemic,
and many operators are paying back loans related to Covid.
What is not helping Welsh tourism recover is the current Welsh Governments
tourism policies as they appear to be based on a ‘loony left-wing fantasy
world,’ where tourists are seen as an ‘unwelcome necessity’ and therefore in
the future they should pay for visiting Wales via a ‘Tourism Tax.’
Amazingly no research has been done relating to what damage this tax will do
to the Welsh tourism industry.
The self-catering sector
The self-catering sector in Wales has always been regarded as the ‘jewel in the
crown’ of Welsh tourism owing to its very high standards and the amount of
repeat business it generates for Wales. However, this sector has been singled
out for their special ‘loony’ treatment.
As intended their 182-day booking law will force many operators out of
business and many will put their properties up for sale. However, most of
these properties are in seaside hot spots or situated in idyllic rural locations.
Once these properties are on the market the Welsh Government thinks that
they will be purchased by first-time local buyers.
However, this is another ‘loony idea’ as it is estimated that many of these
properties will sell for well over £350,000, which is well out of the reach for
most young couples wanting to buy their first home.
Also, even if young people do manage to buy a £350.000 plus property how
many will have the salaries to pay their monthly mortgage repayments as most
of these properties are in areas where seasonal tourism is the only industry
and means of employment? Who then are the most likely purchasers of these
high-priced properties? Probably ‘incomers’ from across the border.
Why don’t our Welsh councils just build more starter homes for young people
which are desperately needed?
Incidentally, no other country in Europe including ‘communist regimes,’ has a
booking requirement that is so high, and which will result in only 20% of self-
catering businesses reaching the Welsh Government’s target.
(1200 Welsh family businesses are forecast to close owing to this law, and
the Welsh Government must bear full responsibility for destroying peoples
hopes and livelihoods).
The Welsh Government
The Welsh Government have encouraged and given grants to many farmers to
diversify into tourism. Many farmers were advised that self-catering was the
way forward. However, farmers who have diversified into self-catering on their
farms will be amongst the hardest hit. Their short tourist season will make it
near impossible for many to get anywhere near the 182 days of required
bookings, thus they could be facing huge rate increases making their
accommodation unviable.
Where is the government’s ‘loony logic’ in promoting a diversification scheme
only to then make it impossible for it ever to be a success?
If the above was not enough for the Welsh tourism industry to bear, we now
have more ‘loony left’ proposals – their motto being “let’s make Wales
different to England”- No new roads, M4 Newport relief road scrapped after
spending 135 million, proposed 20mph speed limits, and four-day working
week trials!
Another ‘let’s be different’ proposal is that Welsh schools should reduce the
number of weeks of holidays in the summer from 6 weeks down to 4 weeks. This
is based on the assumption that the less academics forget past lessons due to
these longer holidays.
This proposal is not supported by the teaching profession. Also, NO analytical
educational research has been done to support their theory, or what damage
this policy will do to Welsh tourism. (Many attractions earn 40% of their entire
yearly incomes in these vital six trading weeks).
The new ‘Tourism Doctrine’
The new ‘Tourism Doctrine’ now flowing out of Cardiff is that expert tourism
advice should be ignored, and that politicians with no background knowledge
of tourism must be trusted to create a unique ‘Tourism Utopia’ in Wales.
This Utopian vision appears to be based on Wales getting fewer tourists, and less
accommodation being available, a shorter summer season, and the Welsh
tourist industry transformed into a shadow of its former self.
However, their fantasy ideology will only flourish if holidaymakers who come
mainly from England are then made to ‘feel truly welcome,’ and are prepared
to pay ‘extra taxes’ to visit Wales in the future. Another unknown factor is
whether tourists will even be able to locate enough holiday accommodation
for their stay in Wales from the remnants of a once flourishing Welsh self-
catering industry.”
