If Pembrokeshire is to prosper, it must invest more in tourism and stop focusing so much on oil, according to the new chief executive of Pembrokeshire Tourism.

Rachel Hicks, who took up the new post last week, said future inward investment from the oil industry was out of the hands of local people and we must now do more to control our own economic destiny.

"Pembrokeshire has its own natural reserves of beauty and a unique character, yet we are still not exploiting tourism sustainably for the future," said Rachel Hicks. "The oil industry here is not going to last for ever, oil and gas fields will decline. But visitors will always want to come to Pembrokeshire and that is something we can exploit more fully for our own gains. We already have a great tourism industry, but it could be better. It's essential that we actively build this industry for a long and prosperous future, rather than passively rely on oil. "Look at Milford Haven... a beautiful natural waterway, full of wildlife, stunning views and a great place for watersports and sailing. But what do most people associate it with? Oil. We need to turn that around. The attraction of cruise liners is a start, but we need to offer visitors even more when they arrive, and we want to make sure they come back.

"Our young need a future here, too, and tourism can help provide that. They need to know that there are long term job opportunities in Pembrokeshire that can keep them here, earning a decent living for their families. If we put more effort into developing good quality tourism, we are offering them that chance."

Pembrokeshire Tourism has 400 members, representing hotels, restaurants, pubs, B&B's, attractions and suppliers to the trade. As an independent organisation, it takes a lead, along with the county council, in developing and supporting tourism here.

"The more strength Pembrokeshire Tourism has, the more of a difference it can make," concluded Rachel Hicks. "I'm concerned that tourism is relegated to second place over oil and that is a mistake."