Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:37 pm on 22 October 2019.
Can I just thank the Minister for his statement and a couple of points I just to wish to raise on his statement? I welcome the ambition that comes through that statement and the desire to see a chosen strategy push for not just more visitors but a different visitor experience coming into Wales, which is crucial.
My concern, looking through it, is very often we talk about certain events such as those footballing events, whatever, they're one-off events and people come for once. And it seems to me that we need to look very carefully at the one-off visitors coming once and not coming back. And what we'll need to look at is the visitors who come back on day visits, on weekend visits, time after time because of the experience they have here. And usually that's based upon activity experience where there's walking or, in my area, mountain biking and other types of experience. So, I would like to see, within the final document, more ambition to get those returning all the time, time after time after time, and we continue to offer them an experience, not just the same experience, but a varied experience so when they come back, they actually have something different.
And to ensure that, there needs to be a strategic approach for the Welsh Government, local authorities, and other bodies to work together to ensure that when someone comes, the experience they have in one patch isn't repeated somewhere else. So, there is something different somewhere else; it's not the same thing just in another location. But we also need to make sure that, taking mountain biking as an example, what's in the Afan valley isn't necessarily the same thing that's in Merthyr or the same thing that's somewhere else. There is something different; there's another reason to be there. I think that's important and we need to ensure that the plan highlights that.
Can you also make sure that it links to the economic strategies of local authorities and regions and making sure the local authorities prioritise tourism? Because my own local authority, at one point, got rid of its tourism officers, now has them back in, but it's a small number. We need to ensure that local authorities take tourism as a serious issue for the economic regeneration of their communities.
The events, as I say, we need to attract those who return. These are basically activity-led events. Most of what you've talked about are actually an event not an activity. The zip wire is an activity, and other things—surfing is an activity. These are what bring people to us. Now, whether it's just good for holidaying on Tenby beach or whether it's actually coming to walk the different parts of Wales, that's what we need to address. How are we focusing our audience on those things? So, when you talk about your plan and when you talk about your digital under social-media approach, can you make sure that you address those aspects and where those different activities can take place, so that we can attract people in different parts of Wales, depending on what their interests and their activities are?
Now, the four priority areas—great products and places; quality experiences; innovative brand; vibrant sector—they are what we want. I appreciate that. And the quality experience you examined and highlighted, the need for toilets, actually, is hugely important, because if you go through many towns, you try and find some public toilets sometimes and you can't find them. But visitors do need that, because they don't know where the local pub is, they don't know where the local McDonald’s is to go and use the facilities, so it is important that we have those not just there, but that they're signed as well, so that people know where to find them. So, can you make sure that you look at those issues very carefully?
Can you also make sure that we look at aspects of our communities? In mine, whether it's Margam park, the Afan valley, or whether it’s Aberavon beach—by the way, if you've never been there, it’s a fantastic beach, one of the best in Wales; go and have a look at it—these different places to go can be linked up. And also the possibilities for future development, we need to look at what they can offer in the future as well. I'll highlight the Rhondda tunnel as an example of how that can be linked into the Valley walking, the cycling paths and the opportunities for regeneration—these are things we also need to look at. That’s why we need to address this and partner it with an economic plan to ensure that the economy and tourism are working together to address those points.