TOURISM BOOST AS VISITORS RUSH TO BOOK HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAY businesses in Wales have begun adjusting to the “new normal” with unprecedented levels of demand as lockdown restrictions ease.
This weekend saw the reopening of tourism across the country as selfcontained accommodation providers were able to open cottages, bed and breakfasts and caravans for the first time since March. The reopening during the summer holiday season comes as a major boost to businesses following months of uncertainty, with the country relying heavily on it.
Tourism supports around 120,000 jobs in Wales – nearly 10% of the country’s workforce – and contributes more than £3bn to the economy.
Tommy Davies runs Coed-Y-Glyn Log Cabins, a set of five-star riverside lodges in the North Wales village of Glyndyfrdwy, Denbighshire.
He said: “We’re doing virtual checkins now. We’ve only got four lodges, so we could usually give it quite a personal touch and either myself or another member of staff will go down and welcome the guest personally, shake their hand, ask how their journey was.
“Obviously we can’t do that anymore. Now we give them pre-arrival emails with all the stuff they would normally get, and FaceTime them when they arrive.
“So what we can’t do is the personal touch, in every sense of the word. So we’ll have to adapt and change. “This is the new normal.”
Mr Davies said check-in times for the lodges, which are now fully booked until November, have had to be put back an hour to allow a “belt and braces” clean with approved virus-killing products.
Hand sanitiser is given to guests, who are asked to strip their bedding themselves after their visit as per industry guidelines.
The owner of Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages, which has 400 properties for hire around the national park in South Wales, said the business has been “frantically busy” with bookings since the go-ahead to reopen was given.
Elizabeth Daniel said around 90% of the cottages will be occupied for the first week of reopening, compared to about 75% at the same period last
year – with a notable increase in the number of Welsh guests.
She said virus-killing hand gel will be given to visitors, made by the Penderyn whisky and spirits distillery in Aberdare, while staff will carry out a bacterial clean on top of normal cleaning duties.
But she criticised what she said had been a lack of clarity from the Welsh Government which had caused problems for her business and guests, with the date for reopening changed.
She said: “There was massive confusion, and we ended up upsetting a lot of people who we had booked from Friday the 10th. Then Wales announced the 13th, and then went back to the 11th.”
The reopening also came as a huge relief to Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park, near the sandy beach of the same name in Gower, Swansea, which relies heavily on its summer trade.
Due to the current restrictions, the site will only be operating at 15% capacity at first, with 23 motor home and caravan pitches and space for more than 110 tents once shared camping facilities are allowed in Wales from July 25.
Owner Tom Beynon said he felt “blessed” after taking 300 bookings on Friday alone, leading to him having to employ an extra person to man the company’s phone, while his website also crashed due to demand.
The holiday site has been fitted with social distancing signs and protective screens at its site shop, with the re-opening also allowing 10 staff members to be brought back out of the usual 16 he employs.
Mr Beynon said: “Being closed has been pretty damaging. We’re one of these businesses that plough on in the winter getting ready to recoup near the summer.
“We, as a family, have worked over a long time to build up the businesses we’ve crafted, but people have really looked after us. You began to wonder would they go to England instead or done something else, because everyone’s had a tough time.
“We’ve had 300 bookings Friday, five nights per booking, people have really backed us and are booking it as their main holiday. It’s phenomenal, we’ve never experienced demand like that.
“We’re very pleased, and in a lot better shape now than we were on Thursday.”
Meanwhile, First Minister Mark Drakeford took a first-hand look at how tourism businesses were preparing to welcome back visitors to Wales as the sector opened for the first time since the since the start of the pandemic.
He visited The Hide in St Donats, Vale of Glamorgan, to see the measures self-contained accommodation was putting in place as the first visitors arrived in Wales.
The visit comes after the First Minister announced a new – and extensive – package of measures to further lift Wales’ coronavirus restrictions, which will see large parts of Wales’ visitor, hospitality, leisure and tourism industries reopen over the next three weeks.
As of today, pubs, bars and restaurants will be able to open outdoors, as well as most indoor attractions. Mr Drakeford has also signalled tourist accommodation with shared facilities, such as camping sites, can prepare to open from July 25.
Detailed discussions about how hospitality businesses can operate in a coronavirus-safe way indoors are ongoing, with plans for reopening from August 3, if conditions allow.
Mr Drakeford said: “This crisis has had a profound impact on the visitor economy – at a time when our businesses should have been experiencing a busy Easter, they were turning guests away.
“We are now cautiously reopening tourism in Wales in a phased way, which will give businesses, staff, visitors and communities the confidence for a successful reopening.
“We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to Wales and to see people from Wales revisiting their favourite places again and discovering new ones.
“Over the summer we want people to visit Wales safely – by looking after their health; protecting this beautiful land and by leaving no trace behind; caring for the countryside by sticking to paths and leaving gates as they are found and keeping dogs on leads. Let us all embrace Wales’ open spaces and avoid crowded areas, wherever we can.
“We can enjoy the best of Wales by choosing local businesses and buying Welsh produce, making a difference to local economies and experiencing the culture and language of Wales and respecting communities which are ready to welcome us back.”
Paula Warren, from The Hide, said: “We’re delighted to once again be able to welcome visitors to The Hide, we’ve missed our visitors and are looking forward to the rest of the summer.
“Our number one priority is the well-being and safety of our guests and team members. To secure just that, we have rigorous procedures and routines in place regarding enhanced cleaning and physical distancing. We want our guests to have the confidence that everything is in hand so that they can get on, relax and enjoy their holiday.”
And, as people prepare to start exploring Wales again, Visit Wales has introduced a pledge to encourage everyone who visits Wales to care for each other, for the land and for communities.
The pledge, which encourages everyone to do the little things that make a big difference, can be signed at www.visitwales.com/ promise
Visitors are also being asked to plan ahead as much as possible and to book their stay in Wales.