<p>The Tourism Investment Support Scheme</p>

Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 9 November 2016.

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Photo of Dawn Bowden Dawn Bowden Labour 2:10, 9 November 2016

Cabinet Secretary, from previous contributions I’ve made on this subject you’ll know of my personal interest in raising awareness of the industrial and social heritage of Merthyr Tydfil, in particular, and I’ve been working with the council, discussing options for developing these into significant tourism opportunities. Indeed, last week I was pleased to address Merthyr’s heritage and regeneration conference, when I focused specifically on what Merthyr has to offer in that regard. Apart from questioning whether we always do everything we can to preserve or to renovate sites and buildings that have a significant story to tell in respect of our local heritage, I spoke specifically about how we could learn from places like Ironbridge in delivering a whole-town experience. I also suggested to them the possibility of developing the Dic Penderyn trail, which I know I’ve spoken to you about, which would tell the story of the people of Merthyr around the time of the rising. That seemed to be welcomed by the council and by a number of the heritage volunteers in the town. The reason I raise this is that Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and the heritage organisations have considerable ambition for the town—there’s no doubt about that—but, of course, the barrier to developing many projects is generally a financial one. Now, I realise that TISS—