Column in the Barry & District News by Alun Cairns MP:
It was fantastic to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge making a surprise visit to Barry Island last week and I want to begin by paying tribute to them and to the businesses that hosted them. Their duties take them right across the United Kingdom and it was brilliant that they chose to come to our beautiful coastal resort. It was also lovely to see that our community provided the warmest of receptions.
The Royal visit aimed to help promote the hospitality and tourism sector as we begin to emerge from the Coronavirus lockdown and they could not have picked a better place than Barry Island.
William and Kate’s visit has helped to highlight the fact that Barry Island is a family resort with attractions for all of the family, particularly as they enjoyed playing arcade games at ‘Nessa’s Slots’. We have an amazing offer on Barry Island for both visitors and local residents, with many excellent local businesses including our restaurants, cafes and amusement arcade, all overlooking the picturesque Whitmore Bay. There really is something for everyone.
I really hope that, at a time when the hospitality and tourism sectors need a boost, this will help to put Barry Island on the radar for people from across the UK who want to get away and are looking for great spots for a ‘staycation’. The message to them is that Barry Island is the place for you.
Now that they’ve visited the Island which has been made so famous by Gavin & Stacey, I’m sure that the Royals will be watching the programme just as passionately as the rest of us!
