PASC UK [The Professional Association for Self-Caterers] - the UK’s largest representative body for the self-catering and short-term holiday rental sector, has launched its Tourism Recovery Manifesto, calling on all parties contesting the 2026 Senedd election to commit to urgent, pro-growth policies to support and strengthen Welsh tourism. The Manifesto highlights an unprecedented crisis facing the sector and calls for the adoption of a Wales-wide Tourism Recovery Strategy.

Tourism is a vital part of Pembrokeshire and the Welsh economy, supporting thousands of jobs, while sustaining towns like Tenby, villages such as Saundersfoot, and rural communities across the county and nation.

However, the sector is now operating in what PASC UK describes as the “most hostile trading environment in its history”, with falling visitor numbers, rising costs and domestic policy decisions placing Welsh operators at a growing competitive disadvantage.

Within the Manifesto, PASC UK highlights the scale of the challenge:

  • Overnight stays in Wales fell 29 per cent between 2023 and 2024, with a further 11% fall recorded in Q1 2025. We are about to get the next annual figures in the next few days, and it's likely to tip this figure over 30 per cent.
  • Nearly half of self-catering businesses report fewer customers in 2025 than in 2024.
  • Iconic attractions have closed, visitor spend has dropped, and micro-businesses – often family-run – are facing unprecedented financial and mental health strain.

In an open letter to all party leaders and candidates ahead of the 2026 Welsh Elections, PASC UK Executive Chair Alistair Handyside MBE said:“Instead of curbing tourism, we need policies that embrace it in a sustainable, pro-growth way – creating jobs, supporting communities, and ensuring Wales remains a welcoming, competitive destination.”

PASC UK is now calling on the next Welsh Government to:

  1. Reduce the 182-day letting threshold to 105 days – bringing Wales into line with realistic seasonality and protecting thousands of small operators from crippling council tax premiums of up to 300 per cent.
  2. Scrap the planned 2027 visitor levy – a tax that Welsh Government impact assessments admit could cost the economy £18-27 million and up to 730 jobs. It is already clear that it will not be introduced across most of Wales and is now highly likely to cost more to implement and manage than it will raise.
  3. Review Article 4 planning restrictions – ending blanket borough-wide bans, protecting existing operators through grandfather rights, and addressing sharp house-price falls already seen across Wales.
  4. Reduce Business Rates for hospitality, to boost this sector and remove the disadvantage that Welsh hospitality businesses face relative to their English counterparts

Commenting further on the launch of the Tourism Recovery Manifesto, PASC UK Cymru's Head of Policy Nicky Williamson said:“Tourism in Wales is at breaking point. Without urgent intervention, Wales risks losing the enterprises that support our communities, sustain rural and coastal economies, and bring visitors from across the world.

“We are calling on every party to commit to a Tourism Recovery Strategy that rebuilds confidence, restores competitiveness, and puts growth at the centre of Wales’s future,” they added.