Tourism tax could halt town’s progress
OVER the last few years BCBC has taken substantial steps in regenerating Bridgend, resulting in a very positive effect on Porthcawl’s tourism industry as a whole: for example the newly opened Jennings building and the refurbished marina.
Indeed Porthcawl, as a seaside destination, is bucking the national trend of decreasing visitor numbers to UK seaside resorts by recording an increase. This has resulted in income from tourism increasing by 4% on 2015 figures at £329m. With the number of jobs supported by tourism also increasing by 3.8% to 4,228, this is good news for Bridgend.
So why is the Welsh Government including the idea of a tourism tax as one of its four proposals for new taxes to be introduced in April 2018?
This proposal could undermine the business sustainability, investment and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry in both Porthcawl and the county borough. There is no such tax in any other part of the UK so potential visitors may well choose those areas for their “staycation”. Who could blame them?
A motion will be put at full council today (November 1) requesting BCBC make representation to the Welsh Government during the consultation process to oppose this tax which has the potential to compromise the progress made to date to boost Porthcawl’s visitor economy. I sincerely hope council supports the motion. Councillor Ken Watts Newton Ward