Page 27 - Pembrokeshire Skills Report 2024

16% of working adults in Pembrokeshire are
employed in this sector, it’s the joint largest
employing sector alongside Retail and Healthcare
and employs on average 83% more than the
national average for jobs in this sector Lightcast™
.
2024 highlighting the sectors importance to the
region.
Pembrokeshire has a large proportion of Part Time
workers (41%) compared to the Welsh national
average of 35%, this is most likely due to the size of
the Leisure and Tourism sector and the
requirements of that sector for part time and
seasonal workers 1. A 2022 Welsh Government
visitor economy report claims that 55% of
employees within this sector are part time 2
Self-catering holiday lets have taken market share
from traditional B&B and Hotels, some of those
businesses have already reacted and diversified into
self-catering suites.
Within the Pembrokeshire Destination
Development Plan 3 there are certain key elements
that will require skill development, however local
skills & recruitment were identified as a weakness
within the plan.
The development plan identifies emerging trends
and new markets such as:
Emerging Trends
• Authentic & the pursuit of real – Visitors
wanting to connect deeply with a place and its
people. Perhaps stay with an artist, eat with
locals, attend local festivals, visit studios of local
artisans and custom design their visit
• Maximising behaviour – Visitors want to cram a
lot into a short space of time, enjoying unique
experiences across the day and into the evening
reflecting the increase in short break taking
• Wellness and nature – Visitors are acutely
concerned by their own wellbeing, health and
fitness. They want to escape into nature and
enjoy sensory experiences e.g. yoga retreats,
long-distance walks, forest-bathing, wellness
focused facilities such as hot wild river baths,
open air hotels, outdoor spa
• Green travel – They are concerned by
sustainable and responsible travel and how they
travel to and around a destination, where the
food and drink comes from and how service
providers are managing scarce resources
Leisure & Tourism
1: Labour Market Profile - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk
2: Wales Visitor Economy Profile: 2021 | GOV.WALES
3: Pembrokeshire-Destination-Management-Plan-2020-2025-English.pdf (visitpembrokeshire.com)
Technology Trends – Social media is increasingly
prominent in travel marketing with the public
driving content creation. Video is the new currency
for storytelling and Destination Management
Organisations can only control their own content or
channels; not content that is user generated.
Growth Markets
Current market analysis identifies Pembrokeshire
target demographic as Active Family Explorers
(Visitors with children aged 7-15 years who like
beach and active holidays with sightseeing) and
Scenic Explorers (45+ They want to experience the
outdoors ‘off the beaten track’, but take in the local
culture)
There is potential for growth within these
demographics and potential new markets such as:
Younger market
• Potential to develop the offer around
learning/skills breaks, focused on wellness and
active strand (e.g. forest bathing,
paddleboarding), local artisan skills (e.g. pottery,
printmaking) and creative breaks inspired by the
landscape (e.g. writing the wild, photography).
• The themes of sustainability, wellbeing and
active are a good fit for this segment.
• Micro-trips hold a strong appeal, reflecting
typical vlogger content
Cruise Market
There is a latent demand for cruise sector growth
coupled with cooperation agreements with SE
Ireland. A fantastic community model has been
established in Fishguard where visitors are
welcomed, with the award-winning Fishguard
Friendly Faces, offering a more personal, authentic
and quirky visitor experience.
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