5. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Tourism

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:56 pm on 27 April 2022.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 3:56, 27 April 2022

In response to Mark Isherwood earlier on in questions this afternoon, I did indicate that I'm taking some further advice following those discussions with the Wales Tourism Alliance in respect of the implications relating to planning in particular, and I look forward to receiving some further advice on that shortly. And then in terms of our overall approach, we do want to ensure that we consider businesses—those businesses that are making a substantial contribution to the local economy. And this legislation is aimed at addressing the issues that we do, I think, genuinely recognise in terms of properties across Wales just being underutilised, both in terms of the tourism sector and then not being available to provide housing for local people within these communities—being priced out, as in the contribution that we heard from the Plaid Cymru benches earlier on this afternoon.

We're also trying to extend the period of the tourism year in Wales. So, colleagues will be familiar with the 'This is Wales' tourism promotion work that we're doing, but we've also recently done 'This is Winter', which promotes the offers that we have here in Wales right throughout the winter season so that we can try to get Wales on the map for people as somewhere that you would visit not just in the summer months but that you can visit all year through. And we're also doing work to make sure that when international visitors, as they start to come back to the UK, are searching for holidays on the internet, looking for places to go in the UK, that Wales pops up as one of the first things that they see as a result of their searches on the internet as well. So, we're looking at a number of ways in which to promote Wales and Welsh tourism businesses and, as such, the tourism sector and the holiday let sector as part of that work. But, yes, we will be further considering the responses, now that we get to the technical consultation, as I described, and looking very carefully at the further evidence that the Wales Tourism Alliance did provide for us in terms of the consultation that it did with its members. 

Just to conclude, then, Deputy Presiding Officer, as part of the agreement that we have with Plaid Cymru, we are taking this immediate action to address the impact of second homes and unaffordable housing in communities across Wales, using a number of approaches. So, we're using the planning system, looking at property systems and taxation systems, and recognising of course that these are complex issues that do require that multifaceted and integrated response. Changes to local taxation alone clearly will not provide the whole solution, and that's why we are developing that wider package of interventions, and I would ask colleagues to vote for the Government amendment today. Diolch.