Sam Rowlands MS for North Wales urges Welsh Government to ‘raise the bar’ when it comes to supporting tourism and hospitality in his region.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Chairman of the Cross Party Group on Tourism, was responding to the Debate on the Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee Report—'Raising the Bar: Securing the future of Hospitality, Tourism and Retail'.
Speaking in the Senedd, he said:
I am a huge advocate of the hospitality and tourism sector in Wales, and that is why I want to contribute to the committee report debate because this report clearly highlights the sheer importance of the sector, but it also outlines many of the challenges it faces as well.
I would like to focus my contribution on just a couple of important areas from the report. One to take note of is output from the Federation of Small Businesses, I took a keen interest in their report over the summer on tourism that, again, showed that tourism accounts for over 17% of Wales's gross domestic product, but it also accounts for over 12% of employment here in Wales.
If you include hospitality and retail within that, we are talking about a third of the economy in Wales, clearly showing how important it is to our communities and to the residents we represent up and down the country.
There are, of course, challenges facing the sector, as we know, the Welsh Government's proposed tourism tax is of huge concern to the tourism sector. It is crucial that Welsh Government sets out its evidence behind a tourism tax, but also shares their research projects behind this, and sets out their intended approach when it comes to this draft legislation.
If a tourism tax is to be introduced, it is vital that councils are able to spend this not only sustaining tourism in their local area, but also to see it being boosted. I believe that it is also very important that there are mechanisms in place to include businesses and their voice in the decision-making process of how this new revenue spend will take place in their areas.
Another concern is the self-catering sector, regarding the 182-day rule, which is part of a long list of Government-enforced changes to the sector, which is causing a significant amount of anxiety for many business owners and tourism attractions across Wales.
I welcome recommendation 7 in the report, which is seeking to clearly show where this support is provided and focused so that the sector can have the assurance that it's treated with the level of respect and importance that it deserves.
We also need support for the sector and clarity as to what the future may hold, following difficulties faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and now with the pressures that global inflation.
Sam Rowlands AS yn tynnu sylw at bwysigrwydd twristiaeth a lletygarwch i economi’r Gogledd
Mae Sam Rowlands AS dros Ogledd Cymru yn erfyn ar Lywodraeth Cymru i fynd gam ymhellach wrth gefnogi twristiaeth a lletygarwch yn ei ranbarth.
Roedd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol yr Wrthblaid a Chadeirydd y Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar Dwristiaeth, yn ymateb i’r Ddadl ar Adroddiad Pwyllgor yr Economi, Masnach a Materion Gwledig – ‘Codi’r bar: Sicrhau dyfodol y sectorau lletygarwch, twristiaeth a manwerthu’.
Wrth siarad yn y Senedd, dywedodd:
Rwy’n cefnogi’r sector lletygarwch a thwristiaeth yng Nghymru i’r carn, a dyna pam fy mod am gyfrannu at y ddadl ar adroddiad y pwyllgor gan fod yr adroddiad hwn yn tynnu sylw’n amlwg at bwysigrwydd y sector, ond mae hefyd yn amlinellu’r heriau di-rif y mae’n eu hwynebu hefyd.
Hoffwn ganolbwyntio at ddau faes pwysig yn yr adroddiad. Un i’w nodi yw’r allbwn gan y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach, roedd gen i ddiddordeb brwd yn eu hadroddiad dros yr haf ar dwristiaeth a oedd, unwaith eto, yn dangos mai twristiaeth sy’n cyfrif am dros 17% o gynnyrch domestig gros Cymru, ond mae hefyd yn cyfrif am dros 12% o gyflogaeth yma yng Nghymru
Os ydych chi’n cynnwys lletygarwch a manwerthu yn hynny, mae’n golygu oddeutu traean o’r economi yng Nghymru, sy’n dangos yn glir pa mor bwysig ydyn nhw i’n cymunedau ac i’r preswylwyr rydyn ni’n eu cynrychioli ar hyd a lled y wlad.
Wrth reswm, mae heriau’n wynebu ein sector, fel y gwyddom, mae treth dwristiaeth arfaethedig Llywodraeth Cymru yn destun pryder enfawr i’r sector twristiaeth. Mae’n hollbwysig bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn dangos y dystiolaeth sydd wrth wraidd treth dwristiaeth, ond hefyd yn rhannu eu prosiectau ymchwil y tu ôl i hyn, ac yn egluro’r dull y bwriadant ei roi ar waith o ran y ddeddfwriaeth ddrafft hon.
Os am gyflwyno treth dwristiaeth, mae’n hanfodol bod cynghorau’n gallu gwario’r dreth hon nid yn unig ar gynnal twristiaeth yn eu hardal leol, ond ei weld yn cael ei hybu hefyd. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn hefyd bod mecanweithiau ar waith i gynnwys busnesau a’u llais yn y broses o wneud penderfyniadau ar sut bydd y gwariant refeniw newydd hwn yn cael ei wneud yn eu hardaloedd.
Pryder arall yw’r sector hunanarlwyo, ynghylch y rheol 182 diwrnod, sy’n rhan o restr hir o newidiadau a orfodir ar y sector gan y Llywodraeth, sy’n achosi llawer o bryder i lawer o berchnogion busnes ac atyniadau twristiaid ledled Cymru.
Rwy’n croesawu argymhelliad 7 yn yr adroddiad, sy’n ceisio dangos yn glir ymhle y darperir y cymorth hwn ac ar beth y bydd yn canolbwyntio er mwyn i’r sector gael sicrwydd ei fod yn cael ei drin gyda’r parch a’r pwysigrwydd y mae’n ei haeddu.
Rydyn ni angen cymorth ar gyfer y sector hefyd ac eglurder ynghylch beth allai ddigwydd yn y dyfodol, yn dilyn anawsterau a wynebwyd yn ystod y pandemig COVID-19 a nawr gyda phwysau chwyddiant byd-eang.
