RCT Council will shortly begin a public consultation inviting residents, businesses and visitors to have their say on the Council’s Draft Tourism Strategy – to help us shape the way in which we seek to maximise the great potential of Rhondda Cynon Taf as a place to visit and stay.
With a varied and unique tourism offer, already established tourist attractions – such as the National Lido of Wales, Lido Ponty, the Royal Mint Experience, Penderyn Whisky Distillery, and A Welsh Coal Mining Experience, at Rhondda Heritage Park – were bringing thousands of visitors in to the County each year before the necessary closure of the tourism sector to protect public health during the pandemic.
As the Welsh Government’s COVID-19 restrictions are continuing to be eased and the tourism and hospitality sector begins to reopen, plus attitudes towards travel shifting to localised UK-based staycations rather than foreign travel, Rhondda Cynon Taf is in a prime position to become a sought-after holiday destination.
The existing offer is also set to be complemented by a number of exciting new attractions – including the Gravity Family Bike Park at Dare Valley Country Park and the eagerly-anticipated Zip World Tower – meaning Rhondda Cynon Taf has the potential to become “the premier destination in the UK, for experience-based visits and vacations.”
To help the Council to achieve its aim, a Draft Tourism Strategy has been produced and the Council is inviting residents, those that work in Rhondda Cynon Taf, business owners and visitors alike the opportunity to put forward their thoughts on the draft Strategy, and help shape it further, by participating in a short survey, which be available from Monday, May 17, when the consultation begins.
Your views will help the Council to formalise its Tourism Strategy for Rhondda Cynon Taf that will help shape the visitor economy and help the Council to achieve its ambitions for the County.
The survey will open from Monday, May 17, until Monday, June 14, 2021. To take part in the survey, please follow the link here.
Councillor Robert Bevan, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise Development and Regeneration, said: “The tourism industry has been hit particularly hard by the effects of the pandemic, with indoor and outdoor attractions required to close for large periods over the last 12 months in order to support the national efforts to reduce COVID-19 rates and protect public health.
“The Welsh Government this week confirmed that indoor hospitality can begin to re-open from Monday, May 17, following continued progress in reducing case rates of COVID-19 across Wales, and this news is warmly welcomed.
“As we move further towards a greater degree of normality in our lives, it is vital that we look to maximize the very many unique offers we have here in Rhondda Cynon Taf as a key driver of economic growth locally.
“To support this, we are asking residents, visitors and businesses to complete the short survey and give their views on the Council’s Draft Tourism Strategy, so that we can achieve our ambition of becoming a premier destination in the UK for experience-based visits and vacations.”
