Swansea’s World class beaches get fit for peak tourist season

SWANSEA’S world class beaches are getting themselves fit for a summer of fun and set to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors to our shores.

The council, local businesses and organisations have been joining forces to create some of the best destinations anywhere in Wales and the work follows on from Blue Flag awards four of our favourite beaches picked up last week.

Now the countdown to the summer holidays is starting in earnest and the council is working with businesses and local groups to make sure the beaches at Bracelet Bay, Caswell Bay, Langland West and Port Eynon are spic and span right through the busiest time of year.

During the quieter seasons of the year the council and Blue Flag beach communities and businesses have been working together on beach management plans – the first of their kind in Wales – which have focussed on developing fresh arrangements for key areas such as littering, beach cleanliness and environmental education.

Meetings have also looked at ways communities, businesses and the council can work together to develop funding bids for projects and activities which add extra to visitors’ enjoyment of their time out on the beach. And across the summer visitors are going to be asked to contribute their own views on what makes the experience so special along with ideas on how it can be improved.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “The council works extremely hard to do all it can to market, maintain and improve the status of our local Blue Flag beaches because they’re a hugely important attraction, capable of drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to our city every year.

“Over the last few years Swansea has been bucking the UK trends because we’re attracting more visitors than ever – 4.2 million last year – who are spending more time and money here which supports more than 5,000 jobs locally and generated a contribution of £360 million to the local economy in 2014.

“Along with the Welsh Government, we’ve also been investing in the future of the Sunday Gower bus service which means people will be able to get to some of our great beaches without having to use the car this summer.

“But while we are doing our bit, the success story of the Blue Flag beaches and the continuing attractiveness of our Gower country and seaside wouldn’t have been possible without the work of local communities working with us on Blue Flag beach management plans.”

Each of the beach management plans looks to make the most of the unique nature of each of the beaches, drawing on support from local residents and businesses as well as the council. Local partner groups are getting involved in daily maintenance activities as well as sharing information about activities, plans and proposals for each of the sites.

They are also working together to make sure actions are taken to maintain Blue Flag status in key respects like accessibility for the disabled, multi-activity use, biodiversity, beach cleanliness, water quality and safety.

Cllr Francis-Davies said: “Gower’s wonderful beaches are known across the world and we’ve all got a role to play in keeping them in top shape for this summer’s visitors and for generations to enjoy for years to come.”