I'm grateful to get the opportunity to speak in support of this report into selling Wales to the world. It's a crucial area for our country's prosperity and one that is all the more vital as we face the uncertainty of the post-Brexit world. Giving small businesses in my constituency of Cynon Valley, and across Wales, the skills, confidence and opportunity to engage is really, really important. This report clearly shows what more we must do to get it right. I want to focus on what I believe to be six key recommendations in the report.

Firstly, recommendation 2—now, this notes the importance of an export growth strategy that prepares companies for international markets and increases the numbers of companies exporting. I'm glad the Welsh Government has accepted this recommendation, and that, in doing so, it sets out what it's already doing, such as prioritising exports within the economic action plan. It’s especially good to see mention of our food and drink sector. Several companies from my constituency have already benefited from Welsh Government support to take part in prestigious trade fairs. They told me how valuable this has been in building their success. That’s companies like the internationally recognised Penderyn Distillery—which welcomed the First Minister the other week—also Grey Trees brewery, the Authentic Curry Co, and Welsh Hills Bakery, with their specialist gluten-free products. I hope that we can encourage more of our local companies, especially in a post-Brexit Wales, to participate in this way.

Increasing business involvement is also key to recommendation 6. However, this is more about getting them to buy into a strong Welsh brand identity. We know that countries who do well have strong, recognisable branding. And I do share the concerns of other colleagues that have spoken already that our Welsh brand may not quite be as strong as it could be. I also note from our work as a committee the evidence from stakeholders about brand identity needing time to bed in.

I think the work that Visit Wales does around its various themed years is very exciting, but I do wonder if annual shifts of focus are the right way to build brand identity. Perhaps we need to think about a more long-term theming to really build that globally recognised Welsh brand. I look forward to the outcomes of the work to develop a digital brand hub for Welsh businesses and organisations to buy into, and also to the incorporation of a Wales brand into all tourism signage and labelling. Related to this are our recommendations 7 and 8. Now, when we were doing this work in committee, I was really not happy with the lack of Welsh resources on the VisitBritain web pages, and in particular, the lack of bookable products. I’ve checked again this morning, and it's good to see that things are improving and there are now eight Welsh bookable attractions on there. That's more than Northern Ireland, but still less than Scotland, and a tiny fraction of the 153 bookable attractions for England, including London.

It’s a similar picture for trips and tours and sightseeing passes too. I still can't see any direct link between the VisitBritain web page and Visit Wales web page. So, I welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s evidence that he gave to the committee, and I know that this is something he said he is aware of and he's entered into discussions around. And it's good to see the additional detail set out in the Welsh Government's response to our report, particularly around developing bookable products and strengthening partnerships. It is clear that there is more that needs to be done in this area to give Wales a level playing field.

I also want to fully endorse recommendation 11, on the devolution of air passenger duty. Professor Annette Pritchard, a tourism expert at Cardiff Metropolitan University, made the case to us very powerfully here, as a committee. She told us that failure to devolve APD had suppressed tourism, economic growth, employment prospects and revenue contributions. In addition, it was hampering the ability of Cardiff Airport to expand and operate as a hub for international tourism to Wales. Indeed, modelling submitted to the Welsh Government has estimated that devolution of APD could lead to an additional 658,000 passengers using Cardiff Airport each year by 2025. So, I hope that we can send a strong message that APD should be devolved, and endorse the Cabinet Secretary’s robust reply on this.

I want to close by saying a few words on our first recommendation, and that's the one that calls for a Cabinet-level trade portfolio. While agreeing with this, I also want to applaud the work that Ministers have done in this area to date, in particular the leadership shown by our current First Minister throughout his term of office. A future First Minister may well agree with us that a visible presence focusing on this area is important, but that should not detract from the dedication that our current First Minister and his team have shown to selling Wales. I am happy to endorse this report today.