7. What is the Welsh Government doing to encourage tourism in Wales? OQ58548

Llywydd, direct investment, both capital and revenue, promotional campaigns in the United Kingdom and abroad, and joint work with the industry to improve skills and career opportunities are just some of the actions we take to encourage sustainable tourism in Wales.

First Minister, I noticed on Friday that you and Adam Price—I think you both got along then—launched your tourism tax consultation with members of the industry present. In that meeting, I’m told you both sought to explain your plans, but then left before you could take any questions. Well, I’ve spoken with some of those tourism industry professionals, and the one thing above all else they wanted to get across to you is how low the morale is in the tourism industry at the moment. That morale, they say, is low because of a succession of policies from this Welsh Labour Government. They’re worried about the huge impact of a tourism tax on their businesses and their communities, they’re worried about changes to self-catering holiday properties, which will reduce the amount of holiday accommodation in their areas, and they’re worried that they have a Welsh Government that is doing very little to support them, and which they feel is hampering them instead. After speaking to one such operator in the last week, they told me they cancelled a seven-figure investment into their business, which would have supported more jobs and boosted the local economy, because of those Welsh Government policies. First Minister, do you now accept that your policies are having a real-world impact now, even before they are implemented, and that morale is at an all-time low in the sector? Will you commit to reviewing your slate of damaging anti-tourism policies before it’s too late?

Llywydd, week after week the Conservative Party in this Chamber runs down the tourism industry in Wales. It’s never got a good word to say for it. If there was a lack of confidence in the industry, it’s because it’s listening to people like Tom Giffard.

Now, the real problem that the tourism industry in Wales faced over this summer, a summer of fantastic weather, was that it was unable to recruit the staff it needed in order to be able to open to the extent that it wanted to, and to make the money that it might have made—another of the Member’s Brexit benefits, no doubt.

I was very glad indeed to take part in the event with the leader of Plaid Cymru. We had an ample opportunity to set out for the audience there the reasons why we will introduce a visitor levy: because it will raise money to invest in the tourism industry, and to make sure that the conditions that make Wales an attractive place to visit today will go on being attractive places into the future. A small contribution to that from visitors who come to enjoy those parts of Wales is both a fair thing to do, but also a very effective way of making sure that we can support and sustain the tourism industry into the future.

The consultation was launched on 20 September, Llywydd, and over 500 responses have been received so far. There’ll be five consultation events, in all parts of Wales, one of which Adam Price and I attended. There’s a virtual event for people who can't get to the physical events; that will happen on 27 October. Welsh Government officials will present to the Senedd cross-party group on tourism on 19 October, so it'll be a chance for the Member to be put right on a few of the points he's made today—it'll be good if he turns up to hear a few facts. And we will go on working with the industry to make sure that, far from week after week telling us how poor the industry is, and how desperate they are not to make a success of the future, we will do the things with them that will guarantee that tourism in Wales will go on being supported into that future.

And finally, question 8, John Griffiths.