Wales a world-class tourist destination

THE Welsh tourism industry has had a torrid time over the past two years and we should be concerned that it is likely to be impacted by the cost-ofliving crisis that’s being compounded by the effects of the war in Ukraine.

We need to do what we can to mitigate these negative effects.

Yesterday the House of Commons’ Welsh Affairs Committee heard evidence from industry representatives who are anxious that as much support as possible is given by public sector bodies to ensure tourism can bounce back as quickly as possible.

For many years politicians and others have agonised over how to increase the number of overseas visitors coming to Wales.

Those of us who live here know what a beautiful and wonderfully varied country it is, but it doesn’t attract as many high-spending tourists as it could.

The tourism and hospitality industries have traditionally paid low wages, but that is no longer acceptable or practical.

To increase the prosperity of those working in these fields, we must aim to offer excellent standards of accommodation and dining that visitors will pay a premium to enjoy.

We already have hotels and restaurants of the highest standard, but we need more if we are to attract the most discerning spenders

At present there is a shortage of labour affecting the ability of venues to operate at top capacity.

This is in part due to Brexit and the return of workers from EU countries to their homelands.

To replace the employees our businesses have lost we need to provide Welsh workers with the skills they need to work in high quality hotels and restaurants where they can earn good salaries.

There is no need to beat ourselves up over the fact that in terms of city breaks we don’t attract as many visitors as the likes of London and Paris – they are major international hubs and cultural venues.

Instead we need to play to our particular strengths, which include high quality accommodation, unique cultural identity and stunning, varied landscape.

.Wales’ reputation is high among those who know and love it – consider our world-class beaches, for example.

But we need to make that reputation known far and wide – and ensure it is protected so it appeals to discerning travellers across the world.