It is excellent news for our struggling tourism sector that National Geographic have identified Cardiff as one of the top 10 summer destinations in the world!!
Apart from its obvious cultural and sporting attractions, Cardiff has also developed a reputation as one of the top destinations for stag/hen nights in Britain. This should not be dismissed so quickly as it brings lots of money into the city, and encourages hotel owners to build more rooms, and encourages flight operators to lay on more flights.
Cardiff could build further on this, and model itself on Las Vegas – not just build a convention centre next to the Millennium Stadium, but also develop our own ‘Strip’ to the south of the new Central Business District. Bute Street has always had a racy reputation, so why not live up to it – relocate Cardiff’s existing casinos and strip clubs into a new purpose built ‘adult entertainment zone’. It would be relatively isolated here so easy to police, and kept away from the more upmarket tourist destinations.
It may not appeal to the more politically-correct, but it will appeal to businessmen attending conventions as well as the stag/hen crowd, and bring even more high-spending visitors to the city.
I would also suggest doing something similar in say Rhyl, but on a smaller scale (and without the upmarket competition).
Apart from its obvious cultural and sporting attractions, Cardiff has also developed a reputation as one of the top destinations for stag/hen nights in Britain. This should not be dismissed so quickly as it brings lots of money into the city, and encourages hotel owners to build more rooms, and encourages flight operators to lay on more flights.
Cardiff could build further on this, and model itself on Las Vegas – not just build a convention centre next to the Millennium Stadium, but also develop our own ‘Strip’ to the south of the new Central Business District. Bute Street has always had a racy reputation, so why not live up to it – relocate Cardiff’s existing casinos and strip clubs into a new purpose built ‘adult entertainment zone’. It would be relatively isolated here so easy to police, and kept away from the more upmarket tourist destinations.
It may not appeal to the more politically-correct, but it will appeal to businessmen attending conventions as well as the stag/hen crowd, and bring even more high-spending visitors to the city.
I would also suggest doing something similar in say Rhyl, but on a smaller scale (and without the upmarket competition).
Off the top of my head I can think of 18,639 places I'd rather visit.
ReplyDeletehttp://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-summer-2011-photos/
ReplyDelete"Historically a city of castles and coal, Wales’s capital is emerging as a modern sports-entertainment destination..."
The castle is a folly and the only sport played in the summer consists of South Africans playing cricket for England.
They haven't even got a beach. But since most people would have to go via London or Amsterdam to get to Cardiff you have to wonder why they wouldn't stay there instead.
Far better red light districts in those cities too, I'd imagine.
I think the National Geographic is just trying to increase it's readership in Wales. If it was a Winter/Xmas shopping holiday list then I could understand it. But summer? Someone is having a laugh.
Actually Bute Street, and the area surrounding it (Butetown) is a densly populated residential area, and one whose inhabitants have not been treated particularly well by the powers that be over the years.
ReplyDeleteI really dont think they deserve to have whats left of their community transformed into a gambling and prostitution playground for visiting stags and businesmen.
While I sympathize with the residents of Butetown, there is actually plenty of space available to build a 'Strip'. And anything is better than the deserted windswept Lloyd George Avenue.
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There have been plenty of plans to help Butetown, but all have been put on hold. The original plan involved dismantling the railway embankment that cuts off Butetown from the Atlantic wharf development. It was planned to make a tram system run where the rail way stood. This would help to end the isolation of Butetown and create a visual imperative to do something about the run down nature of the area. Few Assembly members have bothered to meet with the community of Butetown and that is something shameful.
ReplyDeleteButetown has always been pretty isolated, with the railway embankments to the North and East, the Taff to the West and the Bay to the South. It is geting more integrated into the bay developments to the south, and the planned CBD developments should close the gap to the North. But I agree that the Bay line embankment needs to be removed to integrate the area properly.
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