What next for Welsh tourism after Oakwood’s shock closure?

We’re asking people around Cardiff for their memories of Oakwood, and if they think it’s closing a sign of the times for tourism in Wales.

Transcript

00:00Oakwood theme park's shock closure last week left so many people all across Wales

00:07reminiscing over memories of the site and some worry for the future of tourism in Wales.

00:12Cost of living issues and other factors are meaning once thriving economies are now struggling.

00:16And if Oakwood, Wales' biggest theme park, can close, surely others aren't far behind.

00:21Or is it just a bump in the road for a robust tourism sector here in Wales?

00:25I'm here in Cardiff getting people's thoughts on Oakwood and the future of tourism in the

00:29country.

00:30It's just a shame. It's one of the big attractions in Wales. It is a shame. But it's something

00:35that people went to and went to Wales for. But it's closed so if they can't make it work

00:40then that's that really, isn't it? It's the end of that. But it is a shame.

00:45Obviously it was an attraction for like young children and stuff. I remember going there

00:50as a reward for good behaviour in high school.

00:54A bit shocked because obviously it's one that everyone's always gone to as a kid. Lost

00:59of happy memories being there. But I'm not surprised to be honest because it was a bit

01:04run down by the end, yeah.

01:07I was quite shocked. I used to live up near where it was set up and it was always bustling

01:15and it was the place to go, especially when you're a kid. And to hear it was suddenly

01:20shut down, I was like, wow. You know, what's going on with that? It's not what you expect

01:26to hear. And, you know, sad about it. It's a shame something like that's gone.

01:33While people are devastated by the loss of Oakwood and the memories so many people made

01:37there, people don't seem all too worried about the future of tourmerism and are confident

01:41it won't affect visitors to Wales moving forward.

01:44You know, I choose to believe that Welsh tourism will pick up.

01:50We've got the arcade in Cardiff and we've got the sand wagons and we've got the crazy

02:05golf and the Holiday Inn where you can come and visit and sleep over if you want to come

02:13over sometime.

02:14It's still strong. Like, obviously, Wales is Wales, right? We'll have something new

02:19up and running soon. I have no doubt about that. But it's just it's just a shame, really.

02:24You know, it's been a part of many people's lives. Yeah, it's just a shame. But yeah,

02:30I'm interested to see what Wales will come up with to replace it, because obviously that's

02:36a large part of the industry that's gone. So something needs to take over.

02:44I think things will eventually reopen up, whether or not that's in, you know, three

02:49years, five years, 10 years, I cannot say. But, you know, I think it will get better.