The Observer can exclusively reveal this week that plans are afoot to introduce a new tourist attraction to Tenby this summer.

An application is about to be submitted to the relevant authorities for a licence for camel rides to be permitted on the resort's South Beach.

Several years ago, the magnificent expanse of golden sands was home to that more familiar family seaside attraction of donkey rides.

This new proposal, though, is the brainchild of wealthy Arab oil sheik, Ali Ropfol.

The sheik, who also happens to own a string of top race horses, first got the idea after chatting with a group of local race fans at a recent meeting at the Ffos Las course, near Kidwelly.

They regaled him of the delights of Tenby and its beautiful coastline and suggested that the resort's beaches were the ideal location for a runout for his horses.

Taking them up on the offer, the sheik flew over from his home in Falloropi last month and immediately fell in love with what he saw here.

In fact, so impressed was he with his visit to Tenby, that he even commissioned a camera crew to produce a DVD about the resort as a memento of his trip, with fellow passengers being delighted to receive a sneak preview of the film on the return flight home.

"I was literally overwhelmed with Tenby and what it has to offer," he said. "The South Beach and its dunes reminded me so much of home. In fact, so much so, that it gave me the idea of introducing something else from my own home to the beaches - yes, camel rides!

"I already run several similar operations around the Mediterranean and in the Canary Islands, and believe that with Tenby's long, hot summer climate resembling that experienced in the deserts, the rides would prove extremely popular with holidaymakers here," he added.

If the sheik gets the necessary backing, he says he would also plan to create a brand new 'watering hole' in an area alongside the beach.

This sumptuous 'oasis' would feature luxurious five-star Bedouin camp style accommodation, along with 'stabling' for the camels and a magnificent new marble-columned pavilion, where visitors could enjoy authentic music, dancing and food.

Early suggestions are that this could, appropriately, be called Shanly's. It would be adorned with spectacular fountains and be surrounded by beautiful palm trees, for which Tenby's temperate climate is already famed.

In fact, the sheik is so enthused by the possibilities, that if his idea is a success, he would also seek to extend the rides to other beaches in the town and perhaps even around the county.

And what's more, if the scheme does take off, there could also be something of a valuable spin-off to help solve Tenby's traffic problems.

For, if the rides do prove successful, the sheik has even suggested that perhaps a 'camel train' could be introduced to facilitate a new park and ride service from the town's car parks.

"I heard that there once used to be a land train ferrying visitors into the town, so why not a camel train instead," he remarked enthusiastically.

"With the price of petrol as high as it is today, I'm sure they would be an ideal mode of transport to help people get around," he added.

"They are cheap to run - a couple of gallons of water and they can keep going all day, and night, if necessary!"

The application is due to be decided upon today (Friday), April 1! We await the outcome with interest.