New head at the tourism helm
A new head of the Wales Tourism Alliance which represents all sectors of tourism industry in Wales has been appointed.
Suzy Davies officially has taken over as chair from Professor Andrew Campbell, who has spent more than three years in the voluntary post.
Mrs Davies is a former Conservative Member of the National Assembly for Wales.
Mr Campbell, a Professor of Practice in Tourism at the University of Wales Trinity St David and a tourism consultant, has helped steer the tourism industry through the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the most difficult periods in its history.
“Whilst it is with some sadness that I am stepping down, I warmly welcome Suzy Davies to the role,” he said. “With her distinguished background and in the knowledge that she will carry out the task with great gusto, I am confident that she will bring her own unique signature to the organisation."
After a career in both marketing and management, Mrs Davies became a solicitor and politician.
She said: "The industry has risen to the challenge of Covid magnificently, but the surge in domestic visitor numbers this year cannot blind us to the fragility of the sector's infrastructure.
"Busy today is not the same as sustainable long term. We want the visitor economy to make a stable, balanced, desirable and valuable contribution to the nation's collective wellbeing. Tourism, hospitality, skills providers and local authorities - and Welsh Government - all recognise the challenges and the opportunities."
"Wales Tourism Alliance is the collective voice of the industry in Wales. Failure to listen to it will mean failure to meet those challenges or to capitalise on those opportunities - and none of us wants that.”
