‘Closer look’ at managing tourism needed as lockdown restrictions ease

Katy Jenkins, local democracy reporter

A closer look at managing tourism and the pressure it puts on communities is needed before the county experiences another summer of record visitors.

Cllr Michael Williams, one of the county council’s Tenby representatives, said that last summer saw a high level of pressure put on certain areas as more people opted to holiday in the UK following the lifting of the first national lockdown for coronavirus.

At a Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority meeting on Wednesday (March 24) Cllr Williams said there was a need “to look more closely at managing tourism, the pressure on communities in some areas is immense,” adding this summer had the potential to be “approaching the same level of pressure as last summer.”

National Park chief executive Tegryn Jones said that there was a greater recognition of the problem by Welsh Government.

There were-discussions about legislation and other policies to support tourism areas, particularly when it came to problems such as overnight camping and second homes underway, and the “opportunity for finding solutions hopefully more positive.”

Locally there was a push to encourage campers to use registered sites as well as highlighting all the areas worth visiting, not just tourist hotspots.

The comments came as the Authority meeting received its annual remit letter from Lesley Griffiths MS which states: “2020 has brought many challenges, in terms of impact on your finances and also in managing unprecedented numbers of visitors. I am grateful for the dedication of your staff in working positively and proactively to overcome these challenges.”