Tourism leaders are urging the Welsh Government to provide funds to keep three visitor centres open.

The call comes after Natural Resources Wales (NRW) announced plans to close the cafés and shops at Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Ynyslas, and Coed y Brenin visitor centres as part of £12 million budget cuts.

MWT Cymru (Mid Wales Tourism) chief executive Zoe Hawkins and Mid Wales Tourism Forum chairman Steve Hughson have expressed concerns about the economic impact of these closures.

They have questioned the savings NRW will make from these cuts.

MWT Cymru, an independent organisation representing around 600 tourism businesses across Powys, Ceredigion, and Southern Snowdonia, organised a meeting in September with Members of the Senedd, industry leaders, and senior NRW officials to discuss the closure plans and their potential impact.

During the meeting, MWT Cymru, Mr Hughson, and other stakeholders called for interim funding to maintain operations until businesses are found to take over the cafés and shops at the centres.

NRW estimated that between £1.2 and £1.4 million would be needed.

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Miss Hawkins said the three centres attract nearly half a million visitors a year to Mid Wales and are 'crucial' to the local economy and sustainability of rural communities.

She said: "While we understand NRW’s reasons for considering closures, opportunities for external management must be explored to ensure continuity and support for the region’s economy.

"If these facilities close, investment in marketing these sites becomes uncertain.

"What guarantees can NRW provide that visitor numbers will not decrease, impacting towns, businesses, and families reliant on this local spending?

"If these facilities were run by private businesses facing similar losses through their management, such actions might be understandable.

"However, as an arm of the Welsh Government, NRW has responsibilities beyond profit.

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"The socio-economic impact appears to have been overlooked, with potentially serious consequences.

"With more visitors to these sites than the combined population of Ceredigion and Gwynedd, it’s clear that closures could have significant economic repercussions."

Mr Hughson said he was disappointed that NRW had not agreed to the 'sensible solution' of keeping the café and shop facilities at the visitor centres open until businesses could be found to take them over.

He added: "We hoped that there was room for further negotiation to find a long-term, sustainable solution and, in particular, to avoid the centres being closed.

"We wanted to ensure continuity, but hopefully they will still be able to find third parties to run these centres.

"It’s important that they stay open.

"It seems that the centres will still be open to some extent under the proposals announced by NRW, so I would like to know how much will they be saving by closing the cafés and shops?

"The centres will still need to be well maintained and safe if they are open to the public.

"They make a great contribution to the Mid Wales tourism industry as they attract people who go on to visit other attractions in the region.

"I would like to know how these closures fit in with the Welsh Government’s target for growth."

MWT Cymru is asking local Members of the Senedd, Elin Jones, Ceredigion, and Mabon ap Gwynfor, Dwyfor Meirionnydd, to put pressure on the Welsh Government and NRW to delay the closures.