SIR,
The proposal by County Hall to substantially reduce support to tourism in the county must be urgently re-considered.
The economic reality is that there are a lot more people employed directly in tourism in Monmouthshire than, for example, in construction.
Indirectly, there are probably a similar number of jobs supported by tourism in the county as there are in manufacturing.
Tourism in our beautiful county also has a growth potential that no other industry is likely to match.
In Monmouthshire County Council's (MCC) own Tourism Strategy 2010 – 2014, published in October last year, it was recorded that 'tourism is an integral and important part of Monmouthshire's economy, worth £146m in 2008 and providing 3,050 jobs dispersed across the whole of the county. It is crucial for the public sector to invest in its future'.
Although the Wye Valley is quite a well known tourism 'brand' in the UK, Monmouthshire is still a well kept secret and neither has any sort of international profile.
What we really need to do is to up our game on tourism information services, not close them down.
Particularly, we need to build on the energetic and experienced field teams already in place in the TICs and make sure that every new visitor coming into the county remembers how helpful Monmouthshire's information services have been.
We also need the strategic support at county level to help our Association and Alliance members, who are all volunteers, to shape and develop the range and quality of tourism services they offer.
Ros Robertson (Co-Chair, Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association)