6. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism: Priorities for the Visitor Economy 2020-2025

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:41 pm on 22 October 2019.

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Photo of Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas Independent 4:41, 22 October 2019

Thank you very much, David. When we came to look at the regional approach of the Government and look at it in relation to the needs of tourism, I was very keen, as someone who had lived in mid Wales for over 20 years and still represents a very important part of it in Meirionnydd—. Mid Wales, by the way, is Meirionnydd, Ceredigion and Powys, just in case, for the avoidance of doubt. And I was delighted last week at the turnout for the first awards ceremony for Mid Wales Tourism, and I hope to join Go North Wales, as again they describe it up there, for a further ceremony soon. I mentioned that because it's an example of the distinctiveness of the offer in the different parts of Wales. I do appreciate the distinctiveness that we have to offer in Aberavon, indeed in Margam park, or in those very different parts of Wales that still have very specific and very moving traditional buildings, such as abbeys and large churches and so on, which, again, is part of a spiritual tourism offer that I, obviously, am anxious to promote. So, the visitor experience everywhere is important.

But, I also very much agree that cultivating returners has to be a key part of our strategy—people who wish to come back again for a different experience of mountain biking in different parts of Wales. I was inaugurating in Nant yr Arian at the weekend—another tourist area that is benefiting from a new mountain biking trail. These activities, of course, it's not just mountain biking, it's also the walking, it's also the centres that are established there and the sale of local produce. I'm still looking forward to tasting a very small bottle, obviously, of local mead, which I acquired during a recent visit. So, it's all these things together—[Interruption.] No, I'm waiting to consume it, I said; it's not disappeared yet. So, the varied experience is a key thing.

I think the other important point is that I do understand the difference between an event and an activity, and I know that it's not about promoting spectator events; it's also about participation in events, and those emphases are equally important in a broad and attractive tourism strategy.