Caravan plan spurs debate over tourism

ISLAND IS BRITISH COUNTY MOST DEPENDENT ON HOLIDAYMAKERS

APLAN to expand an Anglesey caravan park has sparked a debate on the future of the tourism industry, amid claims the island is becoming too dependent on the sector.

A 2018 report found Ynys Môn to be the UK’s most tourism-dependent county per capita. Before the lockdown, tourism was found to contribute an annual £304m to the local economy, thanks to almost 1.71 million annual visitors.

The authority’s own figures show the industry employs more than 4,000 people. But recent months have seen disquiet in some North Wales communities, amid concerns that some areas were being subjected to “over-tourism”.

In neighbouring Gwynedd, scenes showing chaotic parking along some of its highways prompted the full council to back calls for a charge to visit Snowdon and some of the national park’s other attractions in a bid to mitigate the impact of hundreds of thousands of tourists.

Others have called for a more tourism tax on overnight visitors.

In July, pressure group Cylch yr Iaith claimed decades of tourism promotion by central and local governments has resulted in “uncontrolled over-tourism”, aiming to attract “the most visitors over environmental, social or cultural expense”.

During a planning committee meeting last week, one Anglesey councillor suggested a wider debate is needed on the benefits and drawbacks of the visitor industry, claiming local infrastructure is “struggling to keep up” amid an “over emphasis on tourism provision”.

Cllr Dafydd Roberts said: “Planning policies state we’re supposed to promote a varied economy.

“Over the past three or four years, we’ve seen more provision for tourism than has formal previously been the case, but the WellBeing of Future Generations Act states that we should be aiming for a sustainable and diverse economy.

“My concern is there’s too much emphasis on tourism provision. This summer has shown our infrastructure is struggling to keep up.

“If we just get more and more tourism, with the area’s infrastructure unable to cope, a lot of these developments don’t really contribute and it ends up being local people rather than the tourists themselves that pay to maintain the infrastructure.

“Tourist business are often given a free ride as a result, but I don’t think future generations will thank us if every application for a caravan site is approved and every other house ends up an AirBnB.

“My feeling is you can’t depend on just tourism.

“You must have something else.”

But other councillors took a different view, with one claiming tourism was one of the few industries left on the island.

“While not disagreeing with what Cllr Dafydd Roberts said, the truth is that we’re very dependent on tourism and agriculture,” said Cllr Ken Hughes.

“We have to capitalise. Tourism brings millions upon millions of pounds to the island every year and while not everyone may be happy with that, it’s the truth.”

The application in question was to increase the number of touring caravans from 15 to 38 at Talli Ho, Prys Iorwerth Uchaf in Bethel, and was approved in line with the officers’ recommendation.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Tourism is an important sector for the Welsh economy.

“Our Welcome to Wales tourism strategy is committed to developing the sector for the benefit of the country, where offering high quality, year-round experiences that benefit both visitors and their host communities is central to the strategy. “