The Welsh Assembly Government could boost tourism in Pembrokeshire by championing awards other than the Blue Flag. This is the view of Pembrokeshire-based AM Joyce Watson.
The Mid and West Wales AM made her comments following the recent decision to strip ten Welsh beaches of their Blue Flag status.
Newport Sands and Broadhaven - a favourite spot for bathers and watersports enthusiasts - were two of the most high-profile beaches in the county to lose their Blue Flags for 2009.
Joyce said: "Unfortunately we had a very wet summer last year and the debris and pollution that was washed into the sea affected water quality when the beaches were tested in September.
"The Blue Flag has come to be seen as the most prestigious beach award in Europe so its draw is very important to the tourism industry. But it's based on a lot more than a beach’s natural beauty or water quality; it includes 29 criteria for things like the information on display to visitors, toilet facilities and bin lids, for example.
"Many of Pembrokeshire’s most beautiful beaches will never win a Blue Flag because they are just too secluded or underdeveloped, which is what makes them so special.
"We need to boast more about other accolades like the Green Coast Award. Sixteen Pembrokeshire beaches won this award for 2009 including my own favourite beach, Marloes."
The Green Coast Award was created in Wales in 1999 by the environment group Keep Wales Tidy. It is a symbol of environmental excellence, established to acknowledge beaches which meet water quality standards and are prized for their natural, unspoiled environment. The award places a strong emphasis on community and environmental activities and is given to beaches which are managed with the involvement of the community, for the benefit of visitors and the environment.
Joyce continued, saying that while it was great news that ten of the 38 Welsh beaches awarded the Blue Flag in 2009 are in Pembrokeshire, there are many other places for visitors to discover:
"Due to the recession we are told that 2009 is going to be a bumper year for our tourism industry—so Visit Wales and the Assembly Government really need to get the message out that there’s a lot more to the Pembrokeshire Coast than Blue Flags."
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