Tensions have been ignited on Anglesey (Ynys Môn) over the island’s apparent portrayal as a soulless tourist attraction rather than a “living, breathing community”. A series of contentious debates have surfaced on social media highlighting deep-rooted concerns over housing shortages, over-tourism and the Welsh language.
While many people are happy to welcome visitors to the island, and most newcomers are keen to assimilate, the rapid pace of change in recent decades has left long-standing residents aghast at what’s being lost. Such is the strength of feeling being expressed that some visitors have reportedly cancelled holidays because they no longer feel welcome.
One Facebook post touched many when a Moelfre woman lamented the steady erosion of the island’s traditional Welsh-speaking communities. “I’m only in my early 30’s but Ynys Môn feels like a very different place even compared to 10-15 years ago,” she wrote.
READ MORE: Electric sea gliders link from Llandudno to Liverpool to 'revitalise' resort
READ MORE: Massive sinkhole on Rhyl Promenade almost swallows up council bin lorry
“I have no doubt that most people planning to move here do so with good intentions, and don’t do so with the plan of stamping out what was here before. But the scale of population movement means that villages (where) I could quite confidently expect to hear more Welsh than anything else, are quickly dwindling away. I think what frustrates/angers some or many local people the most, is when they see the island which has always been their home, turned into “Instagram island” like all it is is a place on a postcard. Whereas to us it’s a living, breathing community which has been people’s homes and a bastion of the Welsh language for centuries.”
Similar posts exposed a tinderbox of resentment over “ghost towns”, property prices, Airbnb proliferation and Anglesey’s dependence on tourism, perceived or otherwise. At the same time, scores of long-time residents were quick to throw open their arms, welcome visitors and urge everyone to celebrate the island’s beauty.
Even so, some island-lovers have been left bereft by recent “venom” expressed on Facebook. One regular visitor was “devastated” by what is seen by some as anti-tourist rhetoric. “I had no idea how much ill-feeling existed,” they said.
“I sincerely apologise to natives of Anglesey and indeed most of Wales that I hadn’t realised that by coming to stay in your land several times each year for the last 60+ years we were causing such distress. I realise that my views were simplistic, and naively I assumed that spending money in shops, accommodation, pubs, tourist attractions etc would be boosting local economies and so paying back for temporarily being able to share all the beauty.
“I am beginning to feel that, at 74, I have lived too long for this modern world; there seems such a lot of venom around, and everything is so complicated so maybe it’s time to just stay at home.”
![Ynys Môn is a place of great beauty but tourism can be a doubled-edged sword when it comes to the local economy](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article27861185.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_RSPB-Column.jpg)
Ynys Môn is undeniably beautiful and many people are keen to celebrate the island through social media. But viewed through a different lens, glossy photos of sunsets, sandy beaches and tranquil lakes paint a picture far removed from some of the real challenges being faced by long-term inhabitants.
Many consider themselves (and are) the bulwark against the continued erosion of the Welsh language. While many beauty spots and national parks in the UK face similar threats to housing and social cohesion, and in some cases to local dialects, Wales is largely unique in having its own first language, the UK’s oldest, and is naturally anxious to preserve it.
While some newcomers make a point of learning the language, or phrases, there is exasperation at the perceived failure of others to understand what’s at stake. If the language dies, so too does a way of life, along with centuries of shared understanding. Other picture-postcard communities in the UK have been damaged by population movements, partially driven by growing wealth divides and the rise of Airbnb-style accommodation, but in few other places is an entire culture at risk.
Does tourism shore up communities or undermine them? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the proportion of Welsh speakers on Ynys Môn fell almost 2% to 55.8% in the decade to 2021. This equated to 1,200 fewer Cymraeg speakers. At the same time, the number of non-Welsh speakers climbed 850. (A Welsh Government survey in 2022 gave a higher proportion of Welsh speakers, 62.8%, but confirmed the downward trend.)
The fall may not seem huge but there is a feeling the trend quickened in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Neither does it tell the full story, with existing Welsh speakers having to switch away from their first language in order to carry out everyday conversations with their new English-speaking neighbours, customers, and visitors.
“I feel so sad when visiting some villages on the island – I hardly hear any Welsh,” said a local woman. “Feels as though I am in England. Shop staff can’t even say ‘diolch’. Hearing the language makes the island different and unique.”
In some places, Welsh is being chipped away; in others, it’s being hacked. Recent figures from Streetcheck.co.uk found that only 27% Rhosneigr’s residents can speak Cymraeg. The rise of holiday homes and lets in the coastal resort has created an English-speaking enclave: almost twice as many speak the language in the nearby villages of Valley and Llanfaelog.
Rhosneigr is an extreme example but other villages have been hewed too. Old residents speak darkly of new “cliques” where eyebrows rise if Welsh is spoken.
It’s been noticed in Gwynedd. “Our local under 8 football team from a village near Caernarfon were recently playing against a team from Llanfair PG (on Ynys Môn),” said a social media user. “It was such a shock to hear their team converse in English. I was so proud to hear all of our team talking Welsh. I was born and bred on Anglesey, so this was heartbreaking.”
![Sunsets on Ynys Môn can be stunning but some locals believe they cast a shadow on the island's economy](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article27861195.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_SWB_STO_120521sky_001JPG.jpg)
There’s genuine bewilderment from well-meaning visitors who cannot understand why they are being criticised for celebrating Anglesey’s beauty, praising its inhabitants and “supporting its economy”. The latter is a bone of contention too: tourism is crucial but for many young people it offers only minimum wages, seasonal work and few prospects.
The “Instagram Island” trend serves only the highlight the dearth of well-paid opportunities for residents without having to travel across the Menai Strait, or often further. “Sadly, the beauty of your wonderful island has become a victim of its own success,” suggested one Anglesey lover.
Rightmove currently has 484 houses, 206 bungalows and 63 flats listed for sale on Ynys Môn. These start at £60,000 for a flat in Llangefni or a static in Llanfair PG, though you might get a three-bedroom terrace in Pentrefelin cheaper at auction. Three properties, all on the coast, have a £1.95m price tag.
The prices reflect the property reality being seen right across the UK. But wages are often lower on Ynys Môn and, in the long run, this may leave tourism on the island unsustainable. As one online commentator said, tourism in places like Anglesey and Gwynedd may eventually “devour itself”. Low incomes drive young people away: they can’t afford to buy or rent properties, and the situation is made worse by landlords switching from long-term lets to the quick bucks offered by short-term holiday lets.
Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Not only does this cut off the supply of cheap labour for tourism, it affects jobs crucial to the running of society. Also affected are teachers, nurses and council staff, who all need affordable local homes to live in. Neither do tourists generate the local tax revenues needed to fund vital services.
This may change soon, of course: a tourist tax (visitor levy) is slated some time after 2025. Even so, many locals want to see planning controls to limit the number of second homes and holiday lets. On Facebook, one man wrote: “It stands to reason that the second home and holiday let sector cannot be left to grow exponentially, otherwise nobody will be able to afford to live locally to provide the services that the second home and holiday let sectors need in order to function.”
In Wales, only Gwynedd is currently considering this approach, via a controversial Article 4 directive. Many others, led by Gwynedd, have focussed on taxation instead: by 2025, Denbighshire will be matching Gwynedd’s current 150% council tax premium for second homes. Cash-strapped Conwy may go even higher: councillors will soon vote on proposals for a 200% premium in 2025, three times more than single-property occupiers pay. Ynys Môn intends to up its premium to 100% by 2024. The maximum that can be charged under Welsh Government rules is 300%.
![In 2022, Holyhead was named the poorest area of North Wales with an average household income of £25,700. Despite this, the port has a close-knit community. In the 2001 census, 47% of its residents spoke Welsh](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/incoming/article27861235.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_RWP_DPW_080814aerial_13JPG.jpg)
It may come too late for some communties that feel hollowed out by second homes, Airbnbs and new arrivals. An Anglesey man said: “Imagine living on a street where you are the only permanent resident all year round and every other house on that street is a second home. During summer (the neighbours) bring down their entire families to stay and park right outside your front door, which is awkward when you have a car full of shopping and a baby to deal with. This was our reality for almost eight years.
“Yes, there is animosity within our communities towards outsiders because people think that Ynys Môn is a playground for the rich of Cheshire. I just can’t wait until Cyngor Môn finally put a 300% council tax increase on second home owners, start building more affordable houses and help locals stay in communities.”
A few visitors condemn such comments. “I think a lot of what is being complained about is just progress, but is perceived by a few as persecution,” said one woman. Another, from Warrington, had heard enough already. “I love Anglesey, had a place there for many years and was planning on moving there last year,” she said. “But hearing all the unpleasant comments about incomers, and after finding the language too difficult to learn at my advanced age, I felt that I wouldn’t be welcome, so I settled elsewhere.”
Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday
Others are sympathetic and are keen to integrate. A woman, her husband and her elderly mother planning to move to Anglesey next year, have begun to learn Welsh and are studying the island’s history. “I love that people want to keep their language and culture alive,” she said. “In fact, that is a huge part of why we love Ynys Môn and its people.”
It’s an attitude that strikes a chord with long-time residents. And despite repeated outbreaks of online hostility – one likened it to medieval conflict – the reality on the ground is very different. It’s in the nature of the island to be welcoming.
“I’ve been visiting this beautiful place for almost all my life – 27 years of my 30 years of life,” said a woman. “Everyone I’ve spoken to, or met, has been lovely.” Another described how Anglesey is the only place she’s ever visited where she’s been welcomed with cakes and gifts from the locals.
Similar sentiments were expressed by many Anglesey-born residents, alarmed they might be seen as hostile. A Holyhead man hopes divisions can be set aside. “There is much in life that divides us,” he said. “Let the beauty of Anglesey unite us.”
Find out what's going on in your neck of the woods