What should Wales look like in 2030 ? Should we be looking to host the Olympic Games? How about being a major tourist destination given our fantastic coastline, landscape and heritage? China recently stated that it plans to win the football World Cup by 2050. Saudi Arabia has a 2030 vision which is guiding all the change the country’s going through.

By having a long term vision businesses can plan and grow. If the vision keeps changing, or if there is no vision, we stay stuck in day to day problems without a guiding light to show us the way. Bristol Airport has over 7 million people go through its doors, half of whom are from Wales. Dublin Airport has over 30 million people travel through every year, although the Irish population is similar to that of Wales. They have set up the ability to clear immigration in Dublin for the US. This is in response to the slow process once you land in America, so the Irish do it quicker and people route through Dublin to take advantage of it.

I went to Cornwall this summer for our family holiday, and was impressed at the amount there was to do as a tourist. We spent over £200 at the Eden Project alone, and enjoyed doing so. When we came back, we decided to be tourists in Wales. We visited somewhere near Neath, which was advertised for cycling and walking. We had a good walk but on return were informed that the café stopped serving food at 3pm (on a Bank Holiday Monday). I was struggling to part with my money.

Cardiff has some great tourist venues, but where is the Roald Dahl centre or the Scott of the Antarctic experience?

How do we start to have a Vision for 2030? Perhaps we should maximise what we’ve got and build from there.