As over 200,000 people visit the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells for a celebration of the rural way of life in Wales, it is worth taking time to consider the role of tourism in supporting the rural economy.
As a paper recently published in Nature magazine summarised so succinctly, rural tourism has the potential to directly improve employment opportunities and stability, prevent depopulation, boost the income of local residents, attract investment for new entrepreneurial opportunities, and add value to agricultural production by introducing farmers to potential new markets.
There are also other indirect benefits which can occur such as resurrecting local craft industries, restoring historical buildings, enhancing civic pride in local communities, and increased investment into improving natural environmental conservation and biodiversity.
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For many urban visitors, it creates a unique experience which not only provides leisure, mental health, and recreational benefits but can also, if done properly, lead to increased ecological knowledge and information about green consumerism and food security.
Given this, and with all the natural advantages that Wales possesses, it seems to be a no-brainer to support rural communities at a time when they are under various social and economic pressures.
And yet there seems to be a growing impression that tourism has become a dirty word amongst politicians and policymakers in Wales.
For example, the proposed introduction of the so-called tourism tax - a small charge paid by people for staying in commercially let overnight visitor accommodation - has been controversial to say the least.
While cogent arguments have been made that a similar levy is charged within other tourism areas around the world, three quarters of respondents to the Welsh Government’s own consultation on the proposal were opposed to giving local authorities the power to impose this charge on tourists.
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It has also been argued that efforts to attract more overseas visitors to Wales simply aren’t working - a recent House of Commons Welsh Select Committee report showed that of the 41 million international holidaymakers to the 海角视频 in 2019, just over a million visited Wales.
Yes, some blame can be placed firmly at the door of Visit Britain which seems to have done little to promote Wales as a destination. However, it was also noted that current marketing approaches were largely outdated and did not reflect what the country had to offer international tourists.
In addition, some have argued that tourism isn’t taken as seriously by politicians as the many new tech industries in Wales, even though the visitor economy is an important part of wealth generation in the economy, employing around a tenth of the Welsh workforce and generating over £6bn annually.
Others have suggested that policymakers remain disconnected from those running tourism businesses in Wales and that there is little, if any dialogue, with those entrepreneurs working every day in the sector.
What could the Welsh Government do to support the sector in the future? I am sure those who have introduced the tourist tax believe that the extra income generated could boost visitor facilities in a time of declining budgets although this also assumes that those local authorities under considerable financial pressures will utilise it for these purposes.
More strategically, there needs to be a complete review of the tourism industry in Wales that not only provides a clear pathway to supporting the industry in the future but also appreciates the deeper socio-economic impact it has on rural communities.
But the most important thing that the Welsh Government can do now is to demonstrate that it is not only supportive of the sector but will use its position as a devolved administration to give Welsh tourism businesses a real competitive advantage in the marketplace.
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For example, earlier this month the 海角视频 Government extended Permitted Development Rights from 28 days per year to 60 days across England. Simply put, this means farmers and landowners can now run pop-up sites for tents, campervans, and motorhomes for up to three months without needing to apply for extra planning permission.
Yet, believe it or not, the Welsh Government has yet to do the same in relaxing similar planning rules around agritourism despite starting a consultation exercise back in 2021.
Given the decline in income for many traditional farmers, diversification has become an important part of the business model of many Welsh farms and is a critical part of the rural economy.
More relevantly, the website estimated that 34% of holidays in Wales involved camping or caravanning, compared to just 20% in England and 21% in Scotland, and that demand for camping holidays in Wales had increased by a third as compared to last year.
We have a perfect situation here where we can boost a key sector of our tourism economy and yet nothing has been done. But rather than just matching England as has been the case in previous policies, why doesn’t the Welsh Government introduce its own version of Permitted Development Rights that covers the period for the entire tourism period of May to September?
This would not only support farmers directly, but increased numbers would also positively impact the rest of the rural business community such as pubs, restaurants and village shops that continue to struggle financially after the Covid pandemic.
This could not be a free for all and there would have to be conditions on the number of pitches, provision of toilet and waste disposal facilities, and having a camping licence.
However, such a simple proposal could give Senedd politicians the opportunity to show they can support positive measures to boost tourism in Wales. More importantly, it would demonstrate that they are willing to use the devolution dividend in a positive way to give a real competitive advantage to a sector that has been neglected in recent years.
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