Tourism
There is a long history of tourism in Wales dating back to the French
Revolution when artists and travellers couldn't go abroad, so they
'discovered' Wales. Today tourism is big business in Wales, with 9.5
million visits by UK residents, mostly from England, spending £985
million. 10% of the Welsh population are employed in tourism and this
accounts for 7.5% of Wales Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
North Wales is generally a tourist area with 1.5 million visitors
spending £155 million. The main product of Wales is 'heritage',
or things from the past. There are several types of heritage:-
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Built Heritage |
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Cultural Heritage |
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- Welsh Language and Culture - 30% of tourists specifically
visit Wales to experience the language and culture.
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Natural Heritage |
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- Snowdonia National Park - Very popular tourist attraction
with great demand which conflicts with management.
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The seaside is also an important tourist attraction. Some places such
as Barmouth are very dependent on tourism and during the winter, out
of the tourist season, many shops will close.
Welsh Language
Originally, most people in Wales spoke Welsh, however, there has been
a steady decline due to outward migration of Welsh speakers, Anglicisation
(inward migration of non-welsh speakers) and tourism.
In 1900, 50% of the population spoke Welsh. By 1981 the number of Welsh
speakers had declined to 19%, but a decade later, the decline had stopped
and a constant of about 20% was reached. The distribution of Welsh speakers
varies, however, it tends to be more confined to West Wales. Caerdeon
is in the Welsh speaking heartland, with over 75% of the population
of Gwynedd speaking Welsh. The Welsh language is a major political issue
in Wales.
