Welsh government launches a "weather-proofing" fund to boost tourism

The Welsh government is launching a million-pound fund aimed at helping business owners tackle the unreliable weather to help bring more tourism.

Cold and rainy weather can often impact many businesses and in a bid to counter a trend of visitors staying away, the owners of attractions will be able to apply for up to £20,000 to pay for various measures to "weather-proof" their attractions, including shelters, covered seating areas, sustainable drainage and canopies. Recent data from Visit Wales stated that 55% of Welsh businesses said that the weather reduced the number of visitors in summer 2024.

The new fund aims to keep the businesses operating as normal, such as reducing water-logging or providing more shelter for guests, and minimise the impact of poor weather on the visitor experience.

The eligible businesses must:

• be accredited under the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS), or be willing to get such accreditation as a condition to obtain the grant;
• be micro, small or medium-sized enterprises (employing up to 249 employees);
• have been trading for at least a year, and are a limited company, partnership or sole trader or social enterprise;
• receive visitors in a setting where poor weather can impact the business.

The grant can support up to 75% of the costs of the weather-proofing measures (or up to £20,000 if this is less than 75% of the costs). The remainder of the costs must be financed by the business from its funds or another private source of finance.

The Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions (WAVA), which worked with the government to develop this fund, claims that Wales was the first nation to experiment with ideas to combat the effect of the climate crisis on tourism. A spokesperson for WAVA, Ashford Price, said: "Meteorologists forecast that Britain will get wetter winters and wetter summers, hence not trying out new ideas is not an option. Many attractions will in future give priority to keeping their customers dry.

"Ideas range from changing grass car parking, which readily turns to mud, into stone-based car parks, to transporting visitors in land trains and then ensuring that when they queue for tickets, they have a roof over them to keep them dry.

"Improved drainage will in some attractions keep play areas dry, and putting a layer of stone dust on pathways will help keep footwear dry. Some boating attractions will provide coverings over their seating areas while out looking for dolphins."

For more information on this subject, see:

• Weather-proofing fund for tourism attractions 2025-26.