Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
Wales is approaching the conclusion of another busy and successful year of hosting an exciting range of major international cultural and sporting events. Events have been hosted across Wales with the city of Cardiff one of a number of key partners in this events programme. From the First Test of the 2015 Ashes Series, through another British Speedway Grand Prix, the Extreme Sailing Series and the Powerboat P1 Superstock Series, the city has, once again, proved its capacity to deliver events to the highest standard. In doing so, Wales achieves global exposure – further enhancing our reputation as a world class tourism and events destination. The events deliver direct economic impact to Wales and help promote our nation as a place to visit, work and do business.
In helping England 2015 stage 8 Rugby World Cup matches at the Millennium Stadium and assisting them in delivering a tournament that has broken all records in terms of ticket sales, Fanzone attendance and community engagement, it is clear that Cardiff and Wales continue to provide an unrivalled spectator experience – and we look forward to welcoming the world again next year when we welcome the World Half Marathon and, looking further ahead, the UEFA Champions League Final in 2017 and Volvo Ocean Race in 2018.
Hosting events on this scale in such a short space of time does, however, place pressure on busy communities. Street cleansing is a matter for the local authority and I know that Cardiff have responded to recent queries on the procedures to restore the city’s streets following large events, detailing the challenges they face in clearing busy locations in a safe and effective manner after an event. We will continue to work closely with the relevant host councils throughout the event planning process on all the events we support in order to ensure that they are as prepared as they can be to host the event safely and successfully. This includes minimizing negative impact on residents and businesses and ensuring that we maximise the opportunities for people and communities throughout Wales to benefit.