Calls for dedicated Welsh Government minister to help tourism sector bounce back post-pandemic
As the tourism industry in Wales fights to get fit for the post pandemic world there are calls for the Welsh Government to appoint a Minister for Tourism to take responsibility for the challenges that lie ahead.
There are major challenges in returning to normal levels of visitor spend, which in an average year is estimated at £17m a day - around £6.3bn a year.
"We would like to see tourism right at the heart of Welsh Government thinking,'' Chair of Wales Tourism Alliance Andrew Campbell said.
"We have made a call to have a Cabinet minister appointment as a tourism minister and we think that would be good.''
But in his recent Cabinet appointments the First Minister, Mark Drakeford made it clear that he had other plans.
He said: "I have put tourism in the portfolio of the Economy Minister. I wanted it to be there in one of the most powerful drivers of our future and I think that's where it belongs. Not as a sort of adjunct of its own but there as part of that powerful economic future.''
This summer the tourism industry in Wales has a big opportunity to recoup its losses.
That’s important because even those who have weathered the storm still face a huge shortfall in income.
"We had a real problem, it was all about survival but we did manage to get the sector open,'' Andrew Campbell said.
''I think if we extrapolate from the Visit Britain figures about the impact and decline in visitor spend in the UK, if we extrapolate that for Wales, we can probably say that Wales has lost four billion pounds in visitor spend last year.''
With uncertainty about foreign travel more people than ever before could choose Wales this summer. Swapping Lanzarote for Llandudno and Benidorm for Barry Island.
"My holiday plans this year - I'm going to go to my caravan in Aberystwyth, sunny Wales,'' one person said.
"I don't fancy travelling abroad at the moment given all these different variants.''
Another said: ''My holiday plans are to go to Scotland this year. I can't go abroad because of the Covid so we thought we'd have a little UK break.''
This upsurge in demand for holidays in Wales has been good news for holiday park owner Huw Pendleton. During the pandemic, while the business was shut down, he took a chance on the future and invested nearly two million pounds .
For bigger businesses with capacity to expand the shake up caused by the pandemic might pay off.
He said: "It was a significant investment but it was an opportunity to make the most out of a bad job.''
It seems it was a risk worth taking. But for holidaymakers the flip side of the coin is less availability.
"Normally as an industry I think it's fair to say we probably work with about six to eight week lead time from people booking to arriving but we've got very limited availability until September," Huw said.
"There are still pockets but it's more limited. Beyond September we have very strong bookings which again it indicates that provided we're able to stay open it should be quite a good season but that said we've invested very heavily this year."
While some holidaymakers may be finding it hard to find the ideal break, others are choosing not to take a holiday at all because they can’t find a bargain that suits their pocket.
So, it seems there are winners and losers in this turbulent time. Investors who are betting on a growing tourism industry, families desperate for a break and an industry calling for the Welsh Government to prioritise them .
But the most important thing is to make sure visitors have the best possible experience.
''It's a great country, Wales,'' Andrew Campbell said.
''It's full of big open spaces, eight thousand square miles, three million people, there's plenty of room. That's what people want. They want plenty of room and they're breaking out of their houses and they want space. Wales delivers space. So with space and good weather and a warm Welsh welcome. That's what it's all about.''
You can see more on this story on Wales This Week, tonight at 8:00pm on ITV Cymru Wales