A bid to boost tourism at places of worship in Wales was launched
last weekend by Welsh Economy and Transport Minister Edwina Hart.
Ms Hart said the Faith Tourism Action Plan aims to increase the £12
million currently spent by "faith tourists". She said that while several
Welsh places of worship already attract huge numbers of visitors every
year, the plan also focuses on lesser-known sites.
"Churches and chapels have a presence in every community and the
activities within Wales' places of worship have helped shape its
language, culture and way of life," she said.
"Temples of all religions,
holy sites and pilgrim trails also have their place."
One idea put forward in the plan is the development of a pilgrims'
walking trail from South Wales to St Asaph's cathedral in Denbighshire.
Ms Hart admitted that increasing the total that tourists spend
visiting "faith venues" may be difficult, because many places of worship
are closed or appear closed to visitors.
The Catholic Church in Wales is supporting the initiative but said it
is unlikely to be involved because, according to a spokesman for the
Archdiocese of Cardiff, "Most of our buildings are modern and don't have
the history that attracts visitors."
The five most visited places of worship in Wales in 2011 were: St
Davids Cathedral with 262,000 visitors; the Norwegian Church, Cardiff
Bay, with 148,547; Brecon Cathedral and Heritage Centre, with 120,000;
Tintern Abbey with 69,631 and Llandaff Cathedral with 40,372.