Tourism bosses beg vacationers to steer clear of Welsh nationwide park

Tourism chiefs have asked tourists to visit Wales’ ‘most Instagrammable’ national park during off-peak seasons, as well as urging them to travel by bus. 

Visitors are flocking in their droves to top locations in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, including Pen Y Fan and the picturesque Waterfall Country walk.

But as the Welsh woodlands become increasingly popular on social media, tourism bosses have begged people to travel by bus to avoid travel chaos. 

The national park – also known as the Brecon Beacons – said it didn’t want to put its four million annual visitors, whilst hoping to cash in on the tourism boom. 

Helen Roderick, the park sustainable development officer, told the BBC: It’s about balance, we want people to come and visit the national park but to think about when they come. 

Tourism chiefs have asked tourists to visit Wales’ ‘most Instagrammable’ national park during off-peak seasons, as well as urging them to travel by bus (pictured: Pen y Fan)

‘And can they travel by bus? And can they make sure they benefit the local economy by using our shops, pubs and local restaurants?’  

‘We want to spread the effect of the visitors. Maybe visit in September and October or early in the morning or on a weekday if you’re visiting in August.

‘Brecon town has the facility to welcome more visitors, we have lots of independent shops, but we want visitors to catch the bus to places like Pen y Fan.

‘For every visitor that goes by bus rather than car, it will reduce emissions which affects the flora and fauna and will reduce congestion in the towns.’

Currently there are several bus routes between Merthyr Tydfil, Brecon and Pen y Fan which is the second biggest Welsh peak after Yr Wyddfa, formerly known as Snowdon. 

More recently, the Welsh national park has been named by the New York Times as one of the top parks to visit in 2024 alongside hte likes of Maui and Singapore. 

The Four Waterfalls Walk near Ystradfellte in Powys had also garnered quite the bit of popularity, raking in thousands of likes on TikTok and Instagram. 

Although the recent social media sensation status has brought more tourism to the area, many arrive sorely unprepared for the challenging trek. 

As a result, the park has had to hire more staff to make sure visitors have the right gear and knowledge before making the 40-minute walk to the first waterfall. 

A multimillion pound investment from the UK government is also on the horizon, so the park can be better equipped with new facilities to cope with the new influx.

Carys Rees, who is a member of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, has advised social media fans to do their research before setting off.  

‘I do love that people are getting out and seeing the beauty of Wales, but I sometimes miss having it to myself. But the good outweighs the bad,’ 

‘I understand people’s concerns, but when people put out these beautiful photos of places you can visit, people see it online and think ‘gosh, wow, I’d love to visit these places and go there’.’

She added: ‘For me it’s about capturing the landscape, but people have to be prepared.’ 

Lucie Kolarikova and Katerina Mrázková along with their pooch Gwaii travelled all the way from the Czech Republic just to hike Pen Y Fan.

But as the Welsh woodlands become increasingly popular on social media, tourism bosses have begged people to travel by bus to avoid travel chaos (pictured: Sgwd yr Eira in the Brecon Beacons)

Unfortunately for the pair they had to turn round as bad weather meant it wasn’t safe to reach the summit.

They confessed they hadn’t really researched the hill before making their way to the steep mountain, admitting Instagram pictures taken in beautiful weather had attracted them. 

Helen Howarth, 44, who sells eco-friendly products, is all for the new wave of visitors but says visitors should be finding ‘hidden gems’ in nearby towns and not purely focusing on Pen Y Fan.

‘It’s about the biodiversity, it’s about our dark skies, it’s about the amazing people and skilled artisans we have,’ she told the BBC.

She believes its now a case of getting word out there about what the town has to offer as well as protecting the environment.