The chairman of an independent organisation that promotes tourism in mid Wales has appealed to the region’s entrepreneurs to come forward with a proposal for a world-class tourist attraction.

Rowland Rees-Evans told the annual meeting of MWT Cymru at the National Library of Wales that mid Wales was slightly behind other regions of Wales in coming up with ideas for a Mid Wales Growth Deal, which would be supported by the Government.

“Visit Wales would love someone to come up with an idea like Zip World or Surf Snowdonia, as it would be a game changer for tourism in mid Wales,” he said.

“There must be an entrepreneur amongst us who has an idea that can fit this criterion.

“At the moment, there is not enough input from the private sector and, if it is not forthcoming, I fear we may well miss this opportunity.”

Based in Machynlleth, MWT Cymru is a social enterprise company representing 550 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and Meirionnydd.

Referring to Visit Wales data, Mr Rees-Evans said tourists and visitors spend around £663 million a year in mid Wales.

The region attracts 1.75 million British overnight visitors together with 100,000 from overseas and 11 million day visits worth £300 million annually.

The tourism industry in mid Wales employs 10,800 people directly.

“From this data, I believe that, as an industry within mid Wales, we have plenty of room for improvement and the possibility to raise the bar again and again,” added Mr Rees-Evans, a director of Penrhos Park at Llanrhystud, near Aberystwyth.

“If we were able to raise those figures by five or 10 per cent, the impact would be significant on mid Wales and I am sure we would all benefit.”

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