The frustrations felt by Dan yr Ogof showcaves owners who have banned Welsh Government ministers from the site is shared by many businesses in north Wales, a tourism leader has said.

Jim Jones, chief executive of North Wales Tourism Ltd, a tourism organisation that supports businesses across north Wales, said the tourism industry is “dismayed” by the way Welsh Government is treating it, adding that “the show caves is sharing the very same frustrations that the majority of tourism businesses have right now”.

Dan yr Ogof said it was standing in solidarity with self-caterers in Wales by stating that ministers of the present Welsh Government are not welcome. The showcaves centre has a sign in the ticket office window giving the reasons for the ban.

It states: “Owing to the Welsh Government’s anti-tourism, and anti-English policies being imposed on the Welsh Tourism industry, members of the Welsh Government are no longer welcome at this attraction.

“Their policies will lead to tourism businesses being forced to close and thousands of tourism jobs lost.”

The action is related to what the owners of Dan Yr Ogof have described as a ‘Soviet type purge’ being imposed by Welsh Government demanding that all self-catering businesses must let their properties for 182 days a year or face penalties.

Ashford Price, Chairman of Dan Yr Ogof said: “I have had the pleasure of meeting two First Ministers for Wales at the Caves. The late Rhodri Morgan and Carwyn Jones on more than one occasion and they were always genuinely interested in tourism.

“However, the present Welsh Government with their anti-tourism policies namely the 182-day rule, the proposed tourism tax, and planned alterations to the main summer holidays clearly show that they do not understand or care that their actions will decimate seasonal tourism businesses in Wales.

“Thirty per cent of self-catering businesses are forecast to close, with a resulting loss of 1400 Welsh jobs. Is it any wonder that some operators in Welsh tourism are now holding back on any future investment in Wales?

“With the resultant job losses, soon the only growth area in Welsh tourism will be the growth in redundant tourism operators claiming ‘benefits’.

“The Welsh Government have used ‘bully boys’ tactics to bulldoze through these new laws, ignoring tourism opposition and leading experts advising against these new proposals.

“For the Welsh Government to take these actions, especially during a cost-of-living crisis, and a recession starting this Autumn that according to the Bank of England will last for over a year and with inflation rising to 13 per cent next year is complete economic madness!

“80 per cent of all visitors to Wales are English and many of these new policies will be seen as anti-English by the English media. Wales will pay a heavy price if our main tourism market refuses to pay the proposed tourism tax, and vote with their feet and go elsewhere.

“In a recession people will be looking for ‘bargain holidays’ not holiday regions where you pay a tax for visiting them.

“My parents always told me as a youngster that you must always stand up to ‘bullies’ hence this is my personal stand to ban Welsh Ministers from the showcaves and show our support for the beleaguered self-catering operators in Wales.”

Mr Jones said: “The owner of the show caves is sharing the very same frustrations that the majority of tourism businesses have right now,” Mr Jones told the Cambrian News.

“As a sector we are dismayed by the way we are being been treated by the Welsh Government.

“Following the last Senedd election we were hoping for a more emphatic approach to supporting our industry with its recovery. Instead it seems that, one after the other, their policies are adding further damage to a sector that has had such a horrendous few years and which is bracing itself yet again to be hard hit with the looming economic crisis.

“There is no consultation with our sector over any of these policies - it’s become a one-way telling exercise.

“Ashford is protecting a livelihood that he has built up for over 40 years and perhaps this stance is the last option left open to him, as its clear his views are not being heard any other way.”

Welsh Government has been asked to comment.