Conwy Adventure Leisure has unveiled a multi-million outdoor surfing project at the site of an old unused aluminium factory, an unused site that was closed in 2007 by Dolgarrog Aluminium, the holder of the land.
The new owners want to create Surf Snowdonia, an artificial wave center that should attract around 70,000 tourists per year, not just surfers, but families who enjoy the outdoors and want to experience surfing.
Instead of waiting for waves to come at beaches, the artificial outdoor wave center would supply surfers with endless six foot waves and a center to relax and enjoy the rather cold weather in Dolgarrog, Wales.
This is not a holiday destination for those who want to get out in the sun, but the owners believe the unique attraction will bring thousands of people to the area, not only making the site economically valuable again but possibly boosting the town’s tourist appeal.
Surf Snowdonia would supply around 100 jobs to the area when it launches in mid 2015. The surfing area will be finished by 2014, according to the owners who have already submitted their planning application for final verification.
The technology involved in creating artificial waves is not new to the world, but it will be the first outdoor one in the UK. The wave generator allows surfers to experience the waves like no indoor experience can offer, even if indoors would make it less cold.
In the past fifty years, we have seen a move away from tourism in the UK as more and more families take a week in Spain instead of the UK seaside. This has lead to a lot of sea-side towns in the UK fall into economic crisis, with the lack of tourists a lot of the stores and centers become abandoned.
Surf Snowdonia might be able to attract the right crowd given its unique design, but for tourist companies looking at the UK, it has to be unique and not rely on the weather to be a success.
