Clwyd West AM Darren Millar was joined by Welsh Conservative Leader Andrew RT Davies AM on Friday for a meeting with a Towyn caravan park to discuss risks and opportunities for the tourism industry in North Wales.
The two politicians met with Howard Farrell of Happy Days Caravan Park who expressed serious concern over the Welsh Government’s tourism tax plans and told of the damage that it could wreak on holiday park operators and visitor attractions in the area.
Darren said:
“I have been warning the Welsh Government of the potential impact of its tourism tax on holiday and caravan parks in North Wales since the proposals were first announced in September and my fears are shared by Howard Farrell who told Andrew and myself that a tax would have devastating implications for his business and all other caravan and holiday parks in North Wales.
“We should be doing all we can to attract tourists to this beautiful part of the country, not discouraging them by making family holidays more expensive.”
Andrew RT Davies said:
“It was good to meet with Howard and to hear first-hand of the concerns of the caravan park industry. Figures released by the Welsh Government in October showed that Brits took 4.24 million trips to Wales between January and June this year - an increase of 6.3 per cent on last year. Tourists spent £724 million in Wales in the first six months of the year, and that is expected to continue to rise over autumn and winter.
“There are some thriving caravan and holidays parks across North Wales, including Happy Days, and it would be a great travesty if their success was hampered by Labour’s ludicrous plans for a tourism tax.”
Howard Farrell of Happy Days Caravan Park said:
“I would like to thank Darren and Andrew, who braved the treacherous journey through the winter weather from South Wales, for visiting me on Friday to hear about our plans for the future and to listen to our concerns regarding the Welsh Government’s proposed tourism tax.
“I, like many tourism operators here in North Wales, have put my heart and soul into building the visitor economy over the years and I am seriously concerned that if these proposals go ahead it will have a crippling effect on us.”