Plans to introduce a statutory registration and licensing scheme
for all visitor accommodation in Wales have been announced by the
Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, today (Tuesday, January 9)
with legislation expected to be introduced to the Senedd before
the end of the year.
The registration and licensing scheme is intended to deliver a
register of visitor accommodation types and to enable providers
to demonstrate compliance with safety and quality requirements.
It is intended to enhance the visitor experience and visitor
safety expectations in Wales by ensuring anyone who lets out
visitor accommodation meets a relevant set of standards.
This follows a public consultation, extensive engagement with the
sector, as well as a recently published survey that found 89% of
visitors considered it important the accommodation they stay in
is operating safely.
Many parts of the world have already adopted licensing,
certification or registration schemes across their visitor
accommodation sectors and the Welsh Government has been
considering best practice to design one that is simple and easy
to use for accommodation providers in Wales.
Across the UK, Northern Ireland has had a certification scheme
established for all visitor accommodation since 1992, with
Scotland having recently introduced a licensing scheme for short
term lets. The UK Government is also pursuing a registration
approach for short term lets.
In Wales, the first phase will be a statutory registration scheme
for all accommodation providers, which will – for the first time
– provide a register on the broad range of visitor accommodation
available across the country and will include details on who is
operating in the sector, where they are operating, and how they
are operating.
Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, said: “Tourism makes an
important contribution to the Welsh economy and to Welsh life so
this information will be crucial in helping us better understand
the sector, as well as helping to inform future policy decisions
at a local and national level.
“The visitor economy is changing rapidly, and while the growth of
online booking platforms has brought many benefits, there are
concerns around compliance with existing requirements and the
impact of short-term lets on housing stock and our communities.
“I’d like to thank businesses across the visitor economy for the
enormous resilience they’ve shown through the unprecedented
challenges of recent years. The input from the sector, visitors
and communities has been invaluable to our work so far. We
will continue this engagement as we develop the scheme.”
Once a registration scheme is fully established, the intention is
to follow with a licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation.
This will initially focus on confirming compliance with safety
requirements visitor accommodation providers should already be
meeting, before looking at introducing quality standards at a
later stage.
The Welsh Government’s Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru
commits to a statutory licensing scheme for holiday lets as part
of a package of measures to address the negative impact second
homes and short-term holiday lets can have on the availability
and affordability of housing for local people in communities.
Designated Member Siân Gwenllian said: “Our plans for a statutory
registration and licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation
in Wales will help ensure the safety of visitors and seek to
enhance the visitor experience.
“The plans will also create a more sustainable tourism offer –
delivered in line with the needs and concerns of communities,
particularly around housing.
“This will result in strengthened controls on residential
properties operating as short-term holiday lets, leading to
greater fair play for all.”
