The Welsh tourism sector should be the envy of the world.
From the glorious Snowdonia mountains to the beautiful beaches on the Gower peninsula to our many historical castles, Wales has something for everyone.
We also have hard-working people who are devoted to making Wales an even more attractive location, and over many years have developed a thriving tourism sector bringing in visitors from throughout the UK and the rest of the world.
However, the sector took a pummelling when Covid arrived. The pandemic and the restrictions that followed put the sector on life support with businesses closing, with jobs and livelihoods only saved through the UK Conservative Government’s furlough scheme.
When, at long last, restrictions started to end, the tourism sector had reasons to be positive. People were able to start coming back into Wales and taking advantage of what our nation has to offer, with a rise in staycations.
Now, things don’t look so rosy.
The tourism sector is faced with a range of problems, all as the result of the Labour Government and their separatist friends in Plaid Cymru.
At a time when the tourism sector needs to be supported and nurtured, they are facing a Welsh political establishment that is doing the exact opposite. The result is people leaving the industry, shutting down businesses which they have worked hard to create which means a reduction in the options available to visitors.
Take for example the impending tourism tax, where visitors will be charged a fee to spend nights in our country. This is strongly opposed by the sector, because they know it sends a message that Wales is shut for business when we desperately need to attract visitors and bounce back from the pandemic, especially as we know that overnight visitors contribute far more to local economies than those that only come for a day. Unfortunately, it’s classic Labour – if it moves (or in this case, sleeps), tax it.
Also this week, Mark Drakeford and Adam Price announced new measures that many in the sector see as a prelude to a tourism tax, including a licensing scheme. This scheme has the potential to be a bureaucratic mess and punish people who run holiday lets. I am waiting to see a fuller explanation from ministers, as the devil is in the detail – but I’m not hopeful.
There is one tourism issue that I am hoping to put to bed, through a parliamentary procedure which will annul legislation. The Labour-Plaid coalition are changing the criteria for self-catering accommodation’s qualification for business rates instead of council tax, moving from the current 70 to 182 days.
If these premises do not reach the 182-day threshold, then council tax premiums will be set at 300% from April 2023 which will lead to the destruction of many businesses, lots of which are family-run and based in those same communities. This will likely see huge job losses – especially devastating when you consider around one-seventh of jobs in Wales rely on the tourism industry. This would be an awful outcome, and the knock-on effects would be hugely damaging.
So, I’m moving to annul this 182-day threshold in the Welsh Parliament. I am proud to be doing so, and proud to be standing up for our tourism sector which is being punished by the dual forces of Labour and their separatist allies in Plaid Cymru.
The tourism sector were willing to compromise. The Wales Tourism Alliance, who represent the industry, have suggested a threshold of 105 days, as did the majority of respondents to the Welsh Government’s original consultation – but they were shamefully ignored by Labour and Plaid.
It’s not too late for Labour, Plaid and the Liberal Democrats to do the right thing – vote to annul, vote to support the tourism sector and vote to keep making Wales one of the greatest places on earth to visit.
