Two weeks ago, the Jones-Evans clan spent a marvellous seven days in Tenby, staying in a flat a few steps from the North Beach. In fact, we parked our car on Saturday afternoon and did not go anywhere near it again until we were packing to leave. For most of our stay, two sets of buckets and spades on pristine sands kept both my sons very happy - that, and dragging their poor old dad into the water every morning for a swim!
On the one day that it was cloudy, we jumped on the bus to Folly Farm - a working farm that has been converted to an award winning holiday attraction - where the kids spent the entire day feeding animals, riding on the attractions at a traditional fairground contained within an agricultural barn, and running and climbing about on different climbing frames around the grounds.
As for food, when we occasionally ventured out with the two little monsters, my wife and I enjoyed excellent meals in the different restaurants dotted around the town. However, we also went shopping every morning for fresh Pembrokeshire produce and, one evening had a simple, but memorable meal consisting of freshly caught sea bass, local new potatoes and peas that had been picked that day. I would have challenged any restaurant in the world to beat that feast of fresh Welsh food.
Yet, as a ‘gog’ holidaying in South West Wales, I was something of an unusual tourist that week. Despite the long hot days of sunshine we experienced last month, it would seem that many Welsh people do not pause to consider whether they should take their holidays a bit closer to home and take advantage of everything our wonderful country has in terms of its environment and attractions and increasingly excellent holiday accommodation.
One of the real challenges for Welsh tourism must be to try and get more of the Welsh to spend at least part of their holidays within their own country. Indeed, very few North Walians will head down the A470 for a summer break. Equally, very few South Walians will venture north of Builth Wells for holidays and, from my own personal experience of the tourist industry, are a very rare breed in Gwynedd or Conwy during the summer months.
Given this current situation, I believe we may be missing a trick here. The Wales Tourist Board (as it once was) did an excellent job in marketing Wales to the rest of the UK and the rest of the World. Yet there is a largely untapped vibrant market within our own country that does need stimulating to get the Joneses from Porthmadog to go to Saundersfoot or the Gower, and the Thomases from Swansea to take a break in Betws y Coed or Llandundo.
I do not need to tell you the financial benefits to the Welsh economy if we could get more of our own people to spend their tourist pounds here in Wales rather than elsewhere. However, spending a few days every year in other parts of Wales may also help us to learn a little bit more about the people, culture and communities within the rest of our country which, in itself, would be a bad thing for this nation.
Perhaps one of the barriers to the north south exchange of tourists in Wales is our dire road infrastructure. Our journey back to Bangor from Tenby took an interminable 5 hours – just to travel 160 miles. Public transport, too, is no better. In fact, I wouldn’t even contemplate attempting to get my family back to Bangor from south west Wales by train, which would be a logistical nightmare.
Transport problems notwithstanding, if you are thinking of visiting your travel agent to plan your ideal holiday for next year, take time to consider where else you will find great food, perfect beaches, wonderful castles and museums, relaxing little hotels, and a stunning natural environment, as the perfect break may be closer to home than you think.
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