The Welsh Government have announced a new fund to ensure that tourism attractions in Wales can welcome visitors in every weather. The Year of Croeso Weather-Proofing Fund will provide grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 to businesses that qualify so that they can implement measures that help them withstand poor weather.
In a statement, the Welsh Government said that tourism represented an annual investment of £3.8 billion in the Welsh economy. Yet in a recent survey conducted by Visit Wales, 55% of the businesses that were asked said that poor weather was the reason for a drop in visitors in the summer of 2024.
The aim of the grants is to help businesses take measures such as providing canopies, sustainable drainage, covered seating areas, visitor shelters or improved pathways and car park surfaces.
Rebecca Evans, the Cabinet Member 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.
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.”
For more information about the fund, and to see what other financial support is available to tourism businesses, follow this link to the Visit Wales website.
