Put tourism in the hands of the third sector.

Tourism is a vital contributor to the welsh economy, accounting for 13% of welsh GDP and around 172,000 jobs (source). So given its importance, one would have thought that local authorities are keen to provide good public facilities and services in areas that should be attracting visitors. Unfortunately, based on the entirely unscientific method of asking about the experiences of some friends of mine it would appear not. In a time of austerity, it seems maintaining facilities and attractions may not be a priority.

As visitors to Wales from New Zealand, their experiences surely matter to those responsible for promoting Wales. The appalling state of public transport has been covered before on here, and the tourists in question found their own attempts to travel outside of the M4 reflecting this. Luckily, they didn’t have to rely on public transport over the weekend.

So instead they got to experience one of the numerous beeches in South Wales. A beautiful piece of coast no doubt, but upon arrival at the beech found that the first impression was paying a parking charge that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Cardiff city centre multi-story. This wouldn’t have been an issue were there to have been evidence of its use in improving the experience for visitors. However the locked, vandalised toilets gave some clue as to the importance maintaining tourist facilities carries in times of cuts.

This wouldn’t have been so bad were it not for the unfortunate presence of litter on the beach, giving the impression of a lack of pride in the facility (Although a few dustbins wouldn’t have gone amiss). Furthermore, whilst there is clearly a need to ensure natural beauty remains unspoilt, on a hot day a shop or ice cream van selling water or soft drinks would have been extremely welcome. After all, the point is not just to attract visitors, but to also ensure they spend money.

This is of course merely an anecdotal experience, and no doubt many visitors have more positive experiences. But it does illustrate that not all is well, and in times of financial pressure there is the temptation to cut facilities enjoyed by tourists. Provision of services for tourists (and local people enjoying Wales’ natural beauty) is however a necessity. But it is also something that could be transferred into the hands of the third sector. Whilst initially some public financing would be needed, over the long term a well run social enterprise could take over responsibility for providing the necessary facilities. Experiences in other parts of Wales (for example the mountain biking in Glyncorrwg) suggest that once local people are given responsibility for managing the environment, they can do a good job. It also means litter and lack of pride in the beauty of Wales will hopefully be less of an issue. And more importantly, it means that Wales can continue to be beautiful even in times of cuts.