North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has spoken of the cumulative effect of Welsh Government policies affecting tourism and called on Ministers to respond to the call by Tourism industry representatives for a review of this.
Calling for a Welsh Government Statement on its Tourism policies in yesterday afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood said the “flood of Welsh Government policy changes” affecting the Tourism industry in the last two years is also impacting other businesses and urged Ministers to look into this.
Speaking in the Business Statement he said:
“Tourism brings the equivalent of one seventh of the Welsh Government's annual budget, down from one sixth pre-pandemic, and is responsible for 5 per cent of our Gross Value Added (the value of goods and services produced in an economy). It supports between 180,000 and 206,000 jobs throughout Wales, notably in areas where alternative jobs are not easily come by. The industry has been dealing with a flood of Welsh Government policy changes in the last two years.
“Thousands of small businesses, key to their local economies, are being overwhelmed by the number of new regulations and costs, and Tourism industry representatives have emphasised the importance of understanding that tourism is an eco-system as well as an industry, and that if you target one sector, the effects ripple out beyond the immediate focus and affect other businesses.
“They're therefore calling on the Welsh Government for a review of the cumulative effect of policies currently affecting tourism, including business rate relief, the 182-day rule, council tax premiums, and of proposed policies such as statutory licensing, tourism tax, and changes to the school year.”
In her response, the Minister for Social Justice said:
“I think we can be proud of the Deputy Minister, certainly, in terms of taking this forward with our great vision for tourism, and delivery of tourism in Wales, which is clear about the opportunities and the prospects, but also the figures speak for themselves in terms of the attraction of Wales. I think it is important, as the First Minister has just mentioned, the importance of the visitor levy, which we believe will make a beneficial difference in terms of tourism in Wales.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood added:
“The impact that these policies are having, not just on the tourism sector but also on a range of other businesses, is deeply concerning, but what is more concerning is that the Welsh Government appear oblivious to this.”