Vacation hotspot considers plans to appropriate tourism imbalance

Beddgelert, Gwynedd

Gareth Williams, local democracy reporter

Future tourism strategies should no longer just attract visitors, but should ensure that local communities benefit as much as possible, the Council Presidents have suggested.

With a warning of an “over-reliance” on low-paying tourism jobs compared to other industries and regions of the UK, concerns were raised that the county was experiencing “unsustainable” visitor numbers such as those seen in parts of North Wales last summer were, cannot be finished.

Although pre-pandemic tourism added more than £ 1.35 billion to Gwynedd’s economy and employed more than 18,200 people with 7.81 million visitors a year, city councils also concluded that sustainable industry was only with consent the local population is possible.

With Covid-19 meaning overseas travel remains impossible for most, the council chairman conceded that the massive surge in visitor numbers last summer had a negative impact on both the local environment and the perception of many locals.

While tourism in Gwynedd lost between 50% and 60% in value in 2020, more and a “different” type of visitor is said to have concentrated on the county within a much shorter time window than in previous seasons.

Given these “unprecedented” visitor numbers to Snowdon and the resulting traffic safety concerns due to dangerous parking spaces on busy highways, the Council Chairman said at the Education and Business Committee meeting on Tuesday that such “unsustainable tourism” is no longer being considered could.

Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn continued, “Moving in a new direction is critical and I believe the industry itself sees the need to reflect more on our society in general

“I was personally accused of being anti-tourism even though I grew up in a house that was rented out as a bed and breakfast, and it is right that we remember that it is an important industry for us.

“But the pandemic may have shown that in rural areas like Gwynedd we are almost entirely dependent on tourism and have very little choice, leading us to create a much more diverse economy instead of all our eggs in one basket .

“We have been told that £ 1.3 billion is generated from tourism and yet has some of the lowest income levels in the country. How can you reconcile that?

“We need a hotel industry that has good careers and good salaries and we need to work to improve the quality of the industry in Wales as a whole.”

Attention

Committee members heard that the agency continued to lobby the Welsh government for the potential of a modest “tourism tax” for overnight guests, but also despite concerns that the “tourism imbalance” was putting more pressure on the main “honeypots” a member warned that caution should be exercised if the exceptional circumstances of the past summer were overstated.

Cllr Edgar Wyn Owen said, “I think there is a risk that we will overreact under such circumstances.

“We had issues before Covid that needed to be resolved but once most of the people have had their bumps they will be flying to Spain like before.

“I can’t foresee that we’ll get numbers like that again.”

Cllr Beth Lawton added, “There are many people in my area who do not want visitors to return, let alone in the numbers seen last summer with an attitude that the area has not always been respected.

“But if you are spreading a message like this, something must also be done to change the mindset of local people and show that we depend on people who visit and spend their money.

“Right now, not everyone is looking forward to the return of tourists and I’m not sure how to achieve that balance, but things will change after Covid.”

Tensions

In response, Economic Development Portfolio Owner Cllr Gareth Thomas said, “As many people depend on tourism for a living, most tensions arise when local people do not feel that their territories are respected.

“By putting the people of Gwynedd first and seeing the benefits, this has a positive effect on the visitor experience.

“We want an economy that is a win-win situation for everyone. This is the type of tourism sector that we want in the future.

“Tourism has always been discussed in terms of visitor numbers, but the quality and the spending and stays of the visitors on site are the most important point for me.

“We have to move away from this idea of ​​absolute numbers and investigate the positive benefits that result for the communities mentioned.”

With the agency planning to hold a summit of all members of the council and the national park on March 2nd, the feedback will be used to develop a new plan for a sustainable visitor economy in Gwynedd by the summer.