CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY OF SEASONAL HIGHS AND LOWS
ABERSOCH is well known as the “second home capital” of North Wales.
With its fantastic beaches, internationally-recognised sailing waters and beautiful scenery, it’s easy to see why the Gwynedd village was ranked one of the best places to live in the UK last year.
Here we look inside Abersoch and what business owners think of the tourist industry in the area.
Terry’s Family Butcher has been on Abersoch’s high street for almost 30 years. Its co-owner, Dawn Jones, has seen Abersoch develop into the ‘seasonal destination’ that it is today.
“I have worked here nearly every summer holiday since it opened, and every year the queues are massive,” she said. “Customers will sometimes line up outside of the butcher and up the road.
“We have to hire more staff members to deal with the demands.
“It is fair to say that our business in the summer does keep us going through the winter time.
“It’s quieter but that’s not to say that nothing happens here. The village recently hosted its own half marathon and we have a Christmas fair coming up.”
Hazel Prebble has been the manager of Abersoch Deli for 18 months.
Although fairly new to the job, Hazel has seen a wave of customers coming to Abersoch during peak season.
She said: “It’s so chaotic and absolutely crazy here! As far as I know, it has been like that for years.
“But it’s good for our business and it’s what we need.”
Despite doing well over the summer, the deli has recently decided to extend its opening hours during the colder seasons.
“Most businesses around here have adapted to that change and it works,” Hazel said.
“I think people have this idea that Abersoch is only a tourist hot spot during the summer time, but you’ll still find holiday goers filter back in the area during the winter time.”
According to Hazel, its changing footfall is good for businesses, but not for other parts of the Pen Llŷn community.
A recent report revealed that Ysgol Abersoch only had nine pupils on the books, reaching its lowest levels in recent school history.
The Gwynedd school, which serves pupils aged between three and eight, could face closure.
She said: “Because this is a tourist place, I think the local primary school is the one that really suffers.
“People might be coming or going, but only a few remain.
“There’s a real sense of community here, however, and that is evident in the fact that businesses work together on the high street.
“Everybody makes sure we sell different things to each other and support one another.
“With the Christmas fair coming soon, we are hoping to get all the community involved, including the school.”
Nigel Bourne had been visiting the popular village seaside resort since he was six months old.
Originally from Shropshire, Nigel decided to move to Abersoch and start his own business, Abersoch Boatyard, on its high street 21 years ago.
He said: “I moved here because I fell in love with this place and it was good for business. It can get very busy and then really quiet here, but it’s a good cycle. We are always going to be summer focused, but we do OK during the winter.
“During quieter times, we focus on product development and deal with different brands.
“So as a business, we are constantly busy throughout the year.”
Over recent years however, Nigel has seen a growing number of tourists visiting the area during winter time. He believes there are several contributing factors to this change.
“Over the last ten years, a few national brands have made it to the high street and has increased the commercial value of the place,” he explained. “Although there are a lot of holiday homes here, more and more home owners either spend longer time or decide to live here.
“Abersoch will always depend on the tourist industry. The best thing we can do is develop from that, rather than kill it.”
Jack Pollitt is the owner of Two Islands Ice Cream cafe, which full-time staff members. It’s about getting the dynamic right.”
Steffan Jones from Pwllheli is the supervisor of Londis Talafon. Like many other businesses in the area, 23-year-old Steffan has seen the vast change between footfall in summer and in the winter.
“The change is obvious,” he said. “At this time of the year, we depend on the locals that live here. That constant support is what drives us as a business but also provides that sense of community.
“Although the footfall has changed, as a business, we don’t feel like we have had to change. Tourists from all over the world come here and they’ll continue to come here.
“We appreciate both sides of the coin, and that works for us as a business.” all