The Tourism Sector in North Wales

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 11:52 am on 8 July 2020.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 11:52, 8 July 2020

(Translated)

Thank you for that response. There are two things I'd like to raise. First of all, an appeal once again for extending support to tourism and hospitality businesses. Losing so much of their season will mean that they will have already lost a great deal of their annual turnover, and time is short to make up for that, of course.

But the second point is on the nature of tourism. The First Minister will know, as do I, about the very real concern that exists about the return of tourism, because the threat of the virus has not disappeared. Therefore, I support a campaign on Anglesey, for example, to remind tourists to stick to those steps to safeguard communities and to respect the people around them. But I also think that now is an opportunity to reconsider the nature of the relationship between tourism and our communities in a more fundamental way. So, would the First Minister agree with me, and tourism representatives who I've been speaking to in my constituency, that we need to use this period to lay the foundations for a new kind of tourism, that gives greater ownership and control to the local level, which makes the sector more sustainable, which responds to local concerns about the impact of too much tourism, and ensures local benefits from tourism?