Wales’ most important industry - Tourism.

On Sunday and today, I attended the Wales Tourism Alliance Conference at the Dragon Hotel, Swansea. The keynote speaker at the Conference Dinner was the Enterprise Minister, Andrew Davies,

Actually, he was also the keynote speaker at least year’s dinner and some delegates wasted no time at all in telling me that in their opinion he gave much the same speech. To be honest I can’t remember- I guess that means that whatever it was he did say last year didn’t make much of an impression.

I really enjoy attending this annual conference. It offers me a chance to properly catch up with all my friends from within the industry - prior to my election to the Assembly, I ran a small hotel in Aberystwyth for 25 years.

Bob Cotton (Head of the British Hospitality Association) made a very appropriate speech stressing that the Government should needs to help the industry by freeing up regulation.

In Wales, where the nature of the business is essentially still small, it is important for the private sector to focus on upgrading and offering a quality product.

This morning, Lucy O’Donnell (formerly of the Wales Tourist Board now part of WAG’s Enterprise, Innovation and Networks Department, gave a very informative presentation. This was about how the Section Four Grant Aid pot (European money which has been previously used to upgrade the tourism product), is now being put into Investment Wales which the Labour Government reckons will be a more central way of giving aid to areas of wider regeneration.

This will surely mean that money for tourism will be more thinly spread than before. It will be essential to ensure that potentially good tourism projects applying for funding are not ‘shut out’.

Dinner last night was served in the fantastic surroundings of the National Waterfront Museum and was proceeded by a fun wine tasting. There was a competition for guessing which wine was which and, (convinced that I knew all the correct answers), I was all set to post in my entry form when a fellow delegate advised me to think again…….

“I can just see the headlines Lisa” , he said. “Tory AM wins Booze Quiz!”

He has a point- not a particularly shrewd move in an election year.

There were three AM’s on my table (including me). How seriously boring is that?!

I mean, I think it would have been a better idea to spread us around the company a bit.

The conference was well attended but not as well attended as in years gone by and it was noticed that this year, representatives from the private sector were too few in number. Public sector organisations have an important role to play in tourism in Wales, but it’s never a good idea for them to dominate the scene.

Best wishes and congratulations go to plucky Esther Roberts of the North Wales Tourism Company who is soon going to be trekking across Northern India to raise money for Age Concern. Last night conference delegates donated some £850 to this worthwhile cause. Good Luck and Bon Voyage Esther !