The Welsh government is launching a million-pound “weather-proofing” fund to boost tourism in the country amid increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
Tourist attractions in Wales could claim up to £20,000 of grant funding to invest in weather-proofing such as canopies, sustainable drainage, and covered seating areas.
The Year of Croeso Weather-Proofing Fund will provide grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 to eligible tourism businesses.
Sheltering visitors from wet weather
Rebecca Evans, the cabinet secretary with responsibility for tourism, said: “Naturally, Wales has an incredibly strong offer when it comes to tourism and our visitors can always be guaranteed a warm croeso.
“But as the weather, which has carved out our impressive landscapes throughout history, becomes more and more unpredictable, it has been identified as the single biggest factor affecting visitor numbers to Welsh attractions.”
She added, “Poor weather can stop them operating as normal, impact on the experience and has the potential to discourage visits in the first place.
“That’s why we have listened to the concerns of people working in the tourism attraction sector and launched this fund, helping them prepare for increasingly variable weather patterns.”
Grant funding for tourist attractions
Tourism contributes £3.8 billion to the Welsh economy each year. However, recent data from Visit Wales showed that wet weather was cited by 55 percent of businesses as the reason for fewer visitors last summer.
The Domestic Sentiment Tracker survey also identified poor weather as the main reason for not taking a domestic break.
The weather-proofing fund will help Wales‘ tourist sites become “more resilient, extend their season and improve the visitor experience”, Evans said.
As the climate changes, extremes of heat, floods, drought and storms are becoming more common, affecting the visitor attractions sector and beyond.
greenloop, blooloop’s online conference focusing on sustainability in visitor attractions, takes place on 13 and 14 May.
The event gives attendees the chance to accelerate climate action across the sector.
Images courtesy of Visit Wales and Aspro Parks
