Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 1:46 pm on 29 September 2021.

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Photo of Luke Fletcher Luke Fletcher Plaid Cymru 1:46, 29 September 2021

Diolch, Llywydd. And as we come out on the other side, now, of a busy tourism season, we should take this chance to reflect and work out how we can in future best promote Wales as a top-quality and sustainable tourism destination. I'm sure the Llywydd will be glad to hear that I spent some of my time in Ceredigion over the summer, and I'm sure the Minister, of course, will agree that areas like Ceredigion offer a story to tell and a lot of experiences for tourists. 

The reality is we need to see financial support for the sector, with a particular focus on cultural tourism and food tourism, both of which are particularly relevant to rural Wales. The Welsh Government have factored a consultation on legislation, permitting local authorities to raise a tourism levy as part of their programme for government this term. We now need to work together in consultation with the sector, local authorities and local communities to consider all options and to properly reflect on the benefits and negatives, of course, of a levy in other countries, such as France, Austria and Germany. Could the Minister outline what further work is being done regarding a tourism levy and how he sees it working in Wales? And would he agree with me that any levy should prioritise making our communities sustainable in a way that sees tourism as something communities are a part of, rather than it being something that is being done to them?