Assembly committee comes to Pembrokeshire

Members of a Welsh Assembly committee last week held a meeting at Oriel Parc, St David’s Visitor Centre, as part of an inquiry into tourism.
Mid and West AM Joyce Watson chaired the Enterprise and Business Committee meeting on Thursday (26 June). She said:
“Tourism in Wales is currently dominated by UK visitors. In Pembrokeshire, improved transport links, superfast broadband and effective marketing are all key when it comes to developing the sector.
“The Welsh Government’s Tourism Investment Support Scheme offers grants and loans to help tourism businesses improve and grow. The government has set itself the ambitious target of growing tourism earnings by 10 per cent by 2020. The committee is assessing progress made towards achieving that goal.”
As well as receiving evidence from big players like Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the National Trust, the committee also sought out the views of local tourist providers.
Mrs Watson continued:
“Speaking as someone whose home is in Pembrokeshire, I was very pleased that we heard from St David’s-based boat company Venture Jet and Tenby’s Anna’s Zoo, as well as representatives from Bluestone and Aberglasney House and Gardens.”
According to the national tourism agency Visit Britain, the number of overseas visitors to Wales has been declining for the past five years. Last year, nearly 90 per cent of visitor spending in Wales was from UK residents. However, this decline has been experienced by all UK regions other than London.
In March, Visit Wales launched a new £4 million advertising campaign. The advert, directed by Marc Evans, who recently directed the BBC/S4C drama Hinterland/Y Gwyll, features a variety of outdoor activities before asking: “have you packed for Wales?”.