TOU0019

Written evidence submitted by Growth Track 360

About Growth Track 360

Growth Track 360 is a public-private partnership established in 2016 uniting North Wales, the Wirral and Cheshire West and Chester.  Its goal is improving cross-border transport connectivity with specific emphasis on rail.

Growth Track 360 works closely with key stakeholders, their policies and objectives including the Welsh Government, Transport for the North, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Mersey Dee Alliance, Ambition North Wales, Transport for Wales, the West and Wales Transport Forum and the private sector.

With our brief being overwhelmingly concerned with transport connectivity, we have confined our written evidence to those of the Committee’s questions clearly linked with this theme, though we would of course be delighted to expand on our points if called to give oral evidence.

Responses to Questions

How attractive is Wales as a holiday destination for international tourists?

Tourism is critical to the economy of North Wales and the cross-border area.

The North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council gathered and presented the following data for 2016 which demonstrates the importance of the visitor economy in North Wales and its connection to the cross-border area, in particular Cheshire[1]:

The combined cross-border visitor economy is on a par with Greater Manchester which is recognised as a major regional economy in terms of visits, spend and jobs supported.

We support the Visit Wales strategy to increase the value of tourism to Wales by way of spend-per-head, length of stay and numbers of overseas visitors. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Visit Wales and the tourism sector in North Wales were having some success in reaching these objectives.

Recent experience with so-called ‘staycations’ [UK holidays by UK residents] stimulated by Covid travel restrictions has highlighted the importance of sustainability and matching demand with what local communities and their environments can absorb.  Indeed, some communities in parts of North Wales are concerned about the impact of tourism via second homes and self-catering accommodation on the housing stock available for local people.

To attain strategic goals for the growth of higher value tourism that adds to GVA and well-being in North Wales, it will be necessary to improve the overall quality of:

• Basic infrastructure such as safe, secure and well-presented car parks (for those who will continue to choose this mode of travel), toilets and other facilities to support attractions and key locations such as popular beaches and walking routes;

• Signage and active management of visitors to reduce the negative impacts of tourism on local people;

• Accommodation including hotels, guest houses, apartments and mobile homes;

• Attractions and experiences (noting in particular the growing attractiveness of North Wales for adventure tourism);

• Customer service and hospitality;

• Place and appearance; and

• Digital connectivity, particularly mobile connectivity so that visitors can access the web and information on the area they are visiting.

Future marketing should highlight how North Wales is part of a tourism cluster of excellence which includes the North West of England but a seamless public transport experience would greatly assist in making all of the heritage and attractions of the cross-border region truly accessible.

Why is the number of international visitors to Wales comparatively low as a share of the UK total?  Does Wales have a sufficiently strong "brand" internationally and what more could be done to promote Wales as a holiday destination abroad?  How can the UK and Welsh Governments and bodies like VisitBritain and Visit Wales better work together to make Wales a more attractive destination for international visitors?

UK areas distant from the main international airports generally have difficulty in competing with those enjoying greater proximity, with London being the shining example of this.

Those that are able to draw in overseas travellers tend to benefit from interconnecting flights via major airports (e.g. Edinburgh and Belfast) or top quality rail links in terms of frequency and speed (e.g. Edinburgh, York and Stratford-upon-Avon) as well as being ‘must-see’ locations for which a degree of effort is thought to be justified by the experience.

North Wales and Cheshire (in particular the City of Chester) have the potential to become ‘must see’ destinations for a greater number of visitors, especially from overseas.  Our area should benefit from its proximity to the international airport at Manchester as well as the growing connectivity of Liverpool John Lennon Airport.  However, the infrequent and often overcrowded rail connections currently available generally do not provide an attractive means for overseas visitors to explore our cross-border region. 

Whilst the Transport for Wales Rail Services operator is implementing a number of fleet improvements to improve access from Manchester and Liverpool Airports, a more fundamental approach to increasing the capacity, speed and reliability of the railway infrastructure is required if a step change of attractiveness to tourists is to be achieved.

What infrastructure and transport reforms are needed to make it easier for international tourists to reach Welsh destinations and attractions?  How can Wales increase its share of international tourism while meeting the UK and Welsh Governments' respective decarbonisation commitments?

We strongly contend that transport is a key aspect of the visitor economy where there is a need for a step change upgrade in terms of quality, capacity, speed and resilience.

Sadly, most visitors access North Wales by car using the A55 and the A5.  As described earlier, the international access points for most overseas visitors are Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airports as well as London. The port of Holyhead has recently become a more frequent calling point for cruise ships.  Relatively few visitors from the rest of the UK or abroad use rail or other forms of public transport to reach our attractions and resorts.

To increase the attractiveness of North Wales and Cheshire whilst reducing congestion and improving sustainability, Growth Track 360 argues for investments to improve transport infrastructure and services, specifically:

• Greater frequency, capacity and comfort when travelling by train, requiring tourist- friendly rolling stock on particular routes;

• Improved rail infrastructure along the North Wales Coast Mainline to facilitate more frequent services;

• Linking rail services to bus and other transfer services from stations to final destinations, representing “last mile” connectivity from transport hubs;

• Integrated and simplified ticketing across transport modes;

• Inclusion of public transport ticketing options in marketing and booking information including the development of special tourist tickets;

• Improved resilience against the impact of accidents and breakdowns along the key routes and especially the A55, with more refuges for breakdowns and other safety features;

• Improved digital connectivity – fixed and mobile - along key routes and at tourism hubs;

• Dedicated cycleways and priority for buses on key routes;

• Park-and-Ride facilities for tourism hubs along with specific “last mile” planning, marketing and provision between transport hubs (like railway stations and tourism destinations, e.g. Llandudno Junction to attractions in Llanberis;

• Improved real-time transport information for users including via the internet, electronic panels at rail stations, bus stops and tourism hubs/attractions;

• Improved frequency and capacity of public transport links to international airports (Manchester, Liverpool John Lennon and London) by rail, coach and bus;

• Measures to promote the use of low carbon forms of transport, e.g. electric car charging infrastructure, rail electrification and battery power, and deployment of hydrogen via fuelling stations across North Wales with investment in hydrogen powered bus, coach and train fleets;

• Improved quality road surfaces, traffic management information and safety measures; and

• Specifically and in the longer term, the electrification of the Chester and North Wales Mainline providing access for HS2 trains from London Euston calling at Old Oak Common (for London Heathrow Airport), Birmingham and Manchester Airports.

These improvements will assist in achieving:

• Modal shift in tourism journeys to sustainable transport, reducing carbon emissions and other pollutants;

• Safer and more reliable journeys;

• Better health through more active travel and walking;

• Better informed and looked after travellers and tourists; and

• An overall greatly improved tourism offer.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the tourism industry in Wales?  What steps are needed post-pandemic for the tourism sector in Wales to recover and grow its international appeal?

A legacy of the pandemic specific to our cross-border region and its tourism industry is the continued absence of restoration of the frequency of direct Avanti West Coast train services from London to Chester, Llandudno Junction, Holyhead and other destinations in North Wales.

Despite representations from tourism organisations, local authorities, business leaders and Members of Parliament, the full service seems unlikely to be restored earlier than December 2022, meaning that our businesses will miss opportunities to attract visitors during the summer season when problems with civil aviation are making UK holidays even more attractive.

Growth Track 360

June 2022