Tourism, Recreation and Access

Tourism is Pembrokeshire’s largest industry and employer, worth £272 million to the Pembrokeshire economy. The strong image of Pembrokeshire in this area is based on its natural and built environment and its cultural history. And, although Pembrokeshire has a varied landscape including mountains and castles, in the minds of the majority the main attraction of Pembrokeshire is the spectacular and unspoilt coastline – a fact recognised by the JUDP 2000 - 2016 (Pembrokeshire County Council/Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority) for Pembrokeshire.
Tourism businesses in Pembrokeshire are, for the most part, SME’s. Growth areas in the tourism industry as a whole include short-stay visitors and an increasing demand for adventure tourism and wildlife cruises. The Wales Tourist Board – the overarching body managing tourism in Wales – has commissioned a number of studies and produced strategy documents covering some of the principal activity sectors. These include Saddling Up For Success – A Riding Strategy For Wales and Moving Up a Gear – A Cycle Tourism strategy for Wales 2002 – 2007.
A few of the issues identified through topic group meetings on this subject were:
• Inappropriate effluent disposal (sewage) and other pollution from vessels can have adverse impacts on the marine environment and on biodiversity.
• Mooring/berthing/shoreside facilities for recreational vessels are inadequate in the county.
• Public transport provision in coastal areas is inadequate to persuade visitors to reduce the use of private transport.
This Topic Group was chaired by David Reed from the Pembrokeshire Business Initiative (PBI). To download a full report on this subject in PDF format, including all the issues identified at the meetings, click here. If you would like the document in Welsh, please contact Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum on 01646 696174.


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