Every year tens of thousands of indoor Father Christmas visits take place at many Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions venues across the country - including the Welsh Showcaves - but sadly not this year.

Last minute Welsh Government intervention has cancelled the traditional indoor pre-Christmas family visits to WAVA attractions throughout Wales.

A WAVA spokesperson said : “The Welsh Government did not consult with WAVA or tourism leaders before imposing this last-minute decision.

"The health of Wales is paramount, but the way tourism decisions are now being taken is scandalous.

"Attractions offering Santa trips have already spent thousands of pounds having bought all the presents, hired the elves, food for the visits, engaged Covid PPE-trained staff, and paid Santa for his time”.

The spokesperson went on to say: “Most Welsh attractions are in survival mode till Easter 2021, with some attractions hanging on by their fingertips.

Only a month ago the Welsh Government curtailed, with no consultations again, the vital half-term break for the recent two-week lockdown with resultant loss of tourism income for members, and now the Welsh Government have cancelled all indoor Santa trips.

Many Welsh attractions have only operated for eight weeks this year owing to regional October local lockdowns, and many attractions had looked upon the forthcoming Santa visits as a last chance life-line for survival.

WAVA attractions have worked throughout the short 2020 tourist season delivering safe Covid-19 secure visits for thousands of families.

This year all family visits to WAVA attractions had to be pre-booked on-line, and time slots then allocated for their visit. Attractions then operated at 40 per cent of last year’s visitor numbers to ensure no crowding of tourists on their sites.

These pre visit requirements along with face masks, and social distancing rules resulted in a 100 per cent safety record for all WAVA attractions.

These stringent rules would also have applied for the cancelled Santa trips.

WAVA members claim the recent two-week lockdowns failed as the closure should have been for four weeks as scientists had advised.

Also allowing people from areas with high virus rates to roam freely immediately after the lockdown was a mistake, with Welsh tourism paying the price for a failed Welsh Government policy”.

Finally, the WAVA spokesperson said: “Even allowing for the generous financial support being mooted by Welsh Government, this last-minute decision not to allow indoor family Santa visits this year is regarded as the final straw for many WAVA members.

Some members have stated that the stop, go, no consultation policy of the Welsh Government is affecting both their health, and well-being, and that the Welsh tourism industry is in a state of utter despair at the way it is being treated.

"If the Welsh Government continues with this last-minute decision-making policy there will be an inevitable complete breakdown of trust between Welsh tourism and Government.

"It is truly heart-breaking to see even further damage being inflicted on tourism, an enterprise that was once Wales' second largest industry”.