Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno

[SteveH]

People have been left in disbelief over The Telegraph?s recent article advising its readers to avoid Wales and Cornwall this summer because the ?place names are weird?. The Telegraph?s travel writer, Ed Grenby, wrote in the article about advice on managing UK holiday expectations with children, that Wales was ?cheaper? for holidays but was let down by the place names. Instead, the newspaper recommends holidaymakers to visit Devon.

Some people are in disbelief that The Telegraph would publish such a statement. The comments prompted hundreds of comments, with most hitting out against the remarks.

Joy McHugh said: ?Would have expected a better class of journalist on The Telegraph - childish to call place names 'weird' just because you can't pronounce them. It seems to be written by the Tourism Officer for Devon!?

cont https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/welsh-language-telegraph-news-comments-24573112?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Welsh tourism tax plan comes at 'worst possible time' as holiday bookings slump
The industry claims tourism firms are cancelling spending plans and preparing for closures and job losses amid cost-of-living fears

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/welsh-tourism-tax-plan-comes-24689525

[SteveH]

The closure of an inland surf attraction in north Wales would be a disaster, according to a tourism chief.

Bosses at Adventure Parc Snowdonia fear they may have to sell up after the business faced a string of setbacks.

They have been looking for investment that could lead to the site in Dolgarrog, Conwy county, being sold.

Jim Jones, head of Tourism North Wales, said while he feared the worst for the area if it did close, he was hopeful it would remain open.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-63145248

[SteveH]

Snowdonia holiday cottage cancels ?12K refurb amid fears of Welsh tourism exodus
As new occupancy rules start to bite in Wales, a plea for additional self-catering exemptions has fallen on deaf ears

Holiday lets in Wales are being penalised through no fault of their own, tourism chiefs have said. Owners struggling to meet stiff new occupancy rules could face hefty council tax premiums if they fall ill or are forced to close for bad weather.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/snowdonia-holiday-cottage-cancels-12k-26376491

[SteveH]

The North Wales beaches awarded Blue Flag and Green Coast status in 2023       
Full list of beaches across Wales on the prestigious list

Twenty five beaches in Wales have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status for 2023, but only one was in North Wales - Prestatyn.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-beaches-awarded-blue-26921767?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Tourism: Wales fails to attract overseas visitors, say MPs

Wales' hopes of becoming a global tourist attraction are hampered by confused marketing, a lack of holiday packages and poor transport connections, MPs have warned.

The Welsh affairs committee is concerned Wales attracts "such a small proportion" of visitors to the UK.

Of 41 million international holidaymakers to the UK in 2019, just over a million visited Wales.

Visit Wales said it would work with VisitBritain on how Wales is marketed.

A report by MPs on the committee highlighted the country's "relatively low profile overseas" and said "Wales lacks a coherent brand for the overseas market".

The report said ?28bn was spent in the UK by international tourists in 2019, but only ?515m of that was spent in Wales, or just 2%.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66171190

[SteveH]

Tourism: Wales visitors drop by 33% amid cost of living

The number of overseas visitors to Wales dropped by a third in three years, new figures show.

International Passenger Survey data, released by the Welsh government, shows there were 33% fewer inbound visitors to Wales in 2022 than 2019.

The amount they spent also dropped by 24%.

Businesses said that while wet weather could deter holidaymakers, a bigger factor was the cost of living crisis.

Sean Taylor, founder and president of Zip World based in Llanrwst, Conwy county, said the six-week school summer holiday was "absolutely essential" for the business.

He added: "The 49 days of summer holidays, including the Scottish holidays, accounts for about 55% of our turnover during the year - it's that important.

"We've had 13 consecutive interest rate rises - it's going to hit people in the pocket."

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66417213

[SteveH]

THIS year?s Welsh Adaptive Surfing Championships will not be held at Adventure Parc Snowdonia, as it has been in previous years, due to its wave machine not being in use.

Para surfer and event organiser Llywelyn Williams has had to move this year?s competition to The Wave, Bristol, with it taking place on August 18 and 19.

https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23717354.para-surfing-championships-leave-conwy-due-faulty-wave-machine/

[SteveH]

'Bleak, dire, a complete downer'- tales from tourism in Wales after a soggy, skint summer
Washout summer and cost of living crisis has meant a mixed-bag season for operators

The latest tourism barometer has checked the pulse of the sector in Wales. While not flatlining, the soggy summer and cost of living crisis has damaged its health.

The Wales Tourism Business Barometer 2023: Summer Wave Report has shown that the boom of the Covid and post Covid summers has fallen away. Bad weather and the current costs hitting families and businesses were the main reasons - although that's not to say it was a complete washout.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/bleak-dire-complete-downer-tales-27808687

[SteveH]

Pier boss hires minibus to get staff home as transport and homes shortage barriers to tourism
The Covid pandemic cost Conwy?s tourist industry in the region of ?700m during a two-year period

The Covid pandemic cost Conwy?s tourist industry in the region of ?700m during a two-year period and housing and transport issues are now a drag on staffing the sector. A council report published this month shows that the county?s tourist industry made just ?372m in 2020 and ?729m in 2021 when lockdowns were still in place.

Previously the county made ?904m in 2018 and ?996m in 2019. The tourism vision ? the revised Destination Conwy Management Plan (DCMP) ? was published by both the Destination Conwy Partnership and Conwy County Council and went before the council?s economy and place overview and scrutiny committee.

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"Visitors are fussier than they've ever been, so they want super-fast wi-fi," she said. "They want decent rooms. They want different accommodation. They don't tend to go to B&Bs as much now - the self-catering, that's an issue with housing. The pier owner tells me he has to hire a bus on a Sunday to get his workers home because there's no way of getting them home. So it's not just about the visitor. It's about the residents and workforce, so I think that's important for it to work.

Full story https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/pier-boss-hires-minibus-staff-27860165?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

'Huge challenges' for tourism as latest visitor stay statistics published for Wales
Jim Jones, the Chief Executive of North Wales Tourism, said there are real concerns surrounding the implementation of the Welsh Government policies

The latest visitor accommodation figures have been released for Wales - with a tourism boss saying the sector faces "huge challenges" . Over the last few years the pandemic - and post pandemic - period has posed unique problems for the tourism and hospitality sectors, from lockdown closures to booming summers that left businesses struggling to meet demand.

Since then there has been a cost of business crisis with energy prices spiralling while Brexit and the pandemic impact has made recruitment more challenging and more expensive. In addition Welsh Government has been under fire for introducing and proposing new policies impacting the visitor sector, from second home rules and extra taxes to the planned tourism tax.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/huge-challenges-tourism-latest-visitor-28318797

[SteveH]

What tourists think of 20mph Wales and whether they will stay away this year
The prospect of more leisurely speeds and fewer signs has detractors and supporters

Tourism groups in England could be forgiven for rubbing their hands over the new 20mph speed limits in Wales. Newspaper letters pages have heard howls of anguish from irate holidaymakers and, on online forums, some English tourists have vowed "never to set foot in Wales again".

The country?s visitor economy is braced for a backlash and places like the West Country are hoping to pick up the pieces. But how much of it is talk? Will the prospect of becoming speedo-watching ?Sunday drivers? affect visitor numbers from across the border ? or will this become part of the appeal?

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/what-tourists-think-20mph-wales-28885185?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589