NORTH WALES tourism chief executive, Jim Jones admits it is ‘worrying’ that staycations in Wales are seeing a decline this year.

The pandemic saw staycations become a popular option for people whilst travel was restricted and for many, it was refreshing to experience much needed breaks on their own doorsteps.

Fast forward to summer 2022, and international travel has all but resumed to normality which has led to a drop off in Brits visiting North Wales for their summer break. Whilst this was expected, Jim Jones admitted bookings were ‘unusually slow’.

“The start of the summer appears to be fairly busy in terms of staycations in most of the destinations, especially in the usual hotspots like Llandudno," he said.

“However, what’s worrying is the feedback we’re getting from members, that bookings for August, September and October are unusually slow which is causing concern.

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"It’s also very strange because the same period last year was extremely busy. Having had to cancel their holidays two years ago, we know that more people are going back abroad now after the lifting of most restrictions.

“The biggest concern is the cost-of-living crisis with the soaring cost of fuel putting the brakes on travelling.

“People are keeping an eye on spending because there’s a lot of uncertainty going forward, and the businesses themselves are under an incredible amount of pressure with the cost of fuel, energy and food all going through the roof.”

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