Editor

In last week’s Cambrian News, North Wales Tourism paints a bleak picture of job losses resulting from the current Covid strategy of the Governments (Wales is unavoidably subjected to decisions made in Westminster, unfortunately), but appears to have considered only limited scenarios.

A much better picture of the tourism industry’s future in North Wales could be drawn if businesses utilise the financial support packages available and we entered a slightly longer phase of tighter restrictions, to eliminate the virus so that we could return to normal activity without the need for prolonged restrictions, as demonstrated by, for example, New Zealand and Korea.

Trying to operate under infection control measures is going to be more expensive, and result in too many more deaths and chronic illness and disability. In addition, business will be poor as many will be too scared to travel, especially the retirement-aged main market for many locations.

These businesses need support in the short term, for the whole of this year, but there is very likely to be a boost to local tourism next summer when the country has recovered, so long as people are still alive and fit enough to take holidays.

The loss of 12,000 jobs sounds like a lot, but it compares favourably to the thousands, (possibly 12,000) who might lose their lives or health from the resurgence of virus now happening as a result of relaxing of isolation.

We need to sit things out just a little longer to safeguard lives and jobs for the boom next season unless we are too weak-willed to make that investment for our own good.

David Church, Tywyn

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