Written question WQ85318

Events are a vital part of the visitor economy and the Welsh Government, through Event Wales, aims to support a balanced portfolio across sports, cultural and business events. As set out in the “Programme for Government” the Welsh Government is determined to do all we can to help our tourism, sports and arts industries recover from the experience of the pandemic.

Through three rounds of the Cultural Recovery Fund we provided £24m to event organisers, suppliers and venues, including the organisers of both the Long Course Weekend, in Tenby, and the Pembrokeshire County Show.

We want sustainable events that reinforce the distinctiveness of Wales, help us encourage new audiences to visit events across Wales throughout the year, deliver economic benefits and raise our international profile.

A Major Events Strategy for Wales 2010-20 was launched in 2010 and since then we have made great progress on events. The annual dedicated budget, currently at £4.7m, has been used to support indigenous events, such as the Long Course Weekend, Pembrokeshire Fish Week and the Big Retreat Festival and attract international events such as the World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals, Other Voices Cardigan, International Golf Travel Market and the 2017 UEFA Champions League Finals.

KPIs are set for each funded event and are subject to ongoing review and we are currently working with the sector to develop a new events strategy for Wales 2022-30 for publication in July.