Pembrokeshire tourism calls for Welsh Government support

That was the message from business owners to the Welsh Government at an event to help kick-start the hospitality and tourism industry in Pembrokeshire and across Wales.

The Restarting Tourism panel, organised by the Western Telegraph, brought together industry representatives and experts from across Wales to talk about what steps they have taken to reopen and what difficulties they have faced along the way.

The panel, held on Thursday, August 13, included representatives from Bluestone Resort, Pembrokeshire County Council, Pembrokeshire Tourism and Celtic Manor Resort.

The panel opened by speaking about the catastrophic impact of lockdown.

“We were closed for four months in total and that had an incredible impact on the business holistically. Not least financially,” said Rebecca Rigby from Bluestone Resort.

“Suddenly, we had no revenue coming through at all.

“From a people perspective, a significant proportion of our workforce was put on furlough.”

Pembrokeshire Tourism’s Dennis O’Connor said there was a huge relief from businesses when they were able to reopen, with many tourism businesses having been closed since October, but said there was concern about a second wave.

Dylan Jones-Evans, an expert from the University of South Wales, said that 80 per cent of businesses had managed to stay open March to June, but the hardest-hit industries were accommodation, food, and tourism.

Mr Jones-Evans had a mixed reaction to Wales’ recovery, saying the accommodation and food sectors were recovering quickly but said the country’s slower reopening could have long term effects on the economy.

Many people on the panel called for Welsh Government to learn from lockdown with Mr Edwards, from Celtic Manor resort, asking for a clearer guide on future reopening steps.

“We don’t have a crystal ball, but at least help us plan for the future,” he said.

“It’s not about giving us more money; it’s about allowing us to help ourselves."

He added that Celtic Manor was planning for up to 450 redundancies, however, Bluestone said more people had been needed to ensure standards were met.

Marc Owens from Pembrokeshire County Council and Mr Edwards, who sits on the Visit Britain board, spoke about how it was important to encourage people to spread out and not just stick to areas like Tenby and St Davids.

Mr Owens said: “We are definitely seeing tourism spread across the whole county. I live in north Pembrokeshire and I’m seeing a lot more people on the coastal path.

“People are pushing out trying to find their space.”

Encouraging business owners to think positively, Ms Rigby discouraged language like describing this year as having ‘three winters’.

“The language surrounding the three winters, I think we really need to turn it on its head,” she said.

“Optimism needs to ripple out and we need to start talking more confidently, it’s infectious.”

Other businesses have been putting this into practice; Haven Holiday Parks, which runs Kiln Park near Tenby, announced last week it would be extending its holiday season to November – a first in the company’s history.

Members of the panel also called on the Welsh Government to start changing the message, encourage people to start going out and to clear up visitors’ confusion surrounding differences in social distancing across the devolved nations.