Conservative leader raises Visitor Levy concerns on Flintshire visit
Clwyd MS Darren Millar visited Tree Tops Caravan Park in Gwespyr on Friday.
He was shown around the site by owner Andy Walker.
According to a press release from Millar’s office, the park includes a children’s play area, an outdoor gym, a launderette, a library, two dog-walking areas, and Japanese and Sensory gardens.
The release said the park overlooks the Dee Estuary and the Irish Sea.
It also said the park has won the Wales in Bloom award in previous years, without specifying how many times.
During the visit, Millar and Walker discussed the Welsh Government’s Visitor Levy.
The levy is a discretionary local tax that would allow councils in Wales to charge a small fee per person, per night, for overnight stays in commercially let visitor accommodation.
According to the Welsh Government, the aim is to help local authorities fund tourism infrastructure and environmental protection.
Millar said Walker had raised concerns that the levy would make holidays in Wales more expensive and could push visitors towards accommodation in England, where no equivalent charge applies.
Millar also said Walker had raised concerns about the cost of waste disposal for the business.
Millar said: “It was a real pleasure to visit Andy and the rest of the team at Tree Tops. What they have created on the site is quite incredible. It really is an oasis of calm, where visitors can escape their hectic daily lives and truly relax.”
“Winning Wales in Bloom year after year is a remarkable achievement and reflects the hard work of everyone involved,” he said.
“Tree Tops is without doubt a real asset to the area, and like all tourism businesses in Wales, it is important that we ensure that they receive the help and support they need for their continued success,” he said.
“During my chat with Andy, I heard directly about the challenges they, and others in the tourism sector, are facing, including concerns about the Welsh Government’s tourism tax, which will make it more expensive for people to holiday in Wales and may result in Welsh tourism businesses losing out to those over the border in England where there is no tax,” Millar said.
“They also told me that waste disposal costs are placing further pressures on their business,” he said.
“Andy and the rest of the team are working flat out to provide a first-rate holiday destination and they deserve huge credit, but they also deserve to be properly supported by those in power,” Millar said.
“Tourism and hospitality businesses are the backbone of many local communities here in North Wales, and we must ensure they not burdened by unnecessary costs and additional pressures,” he added.
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