Posts Tagged ‘ Visit Wales. ’

For Wales to grow by 0.5% is lamentable and there is little evidence that Visit Wales or the Welsh government understands that it has a problem let alone knowing how to solve it.

In Wales, this year, it is the “Year of Legends” and Visit Wales are encouraging visitors to explore some of the legends connected to the country.

With the Paralympics, cake trails inspired by The Great British Bake-Off, a space-themed kids area at Washington Dulles airport and free-interest installment ways to buy holidays, Adrian is spoilt for choice this week.

It should also be a time where they remind the world how important we are as tourists and visitors and remind us of all the places that we should be out and seeing.

Adrian wonders why Wales doesn’t attract more visitors

This is the name given by USTOA – US Travel Operators Association – to a promotion in the US to encourage people to holiday. Why mention it? Because why don’t we have something like it here?

Conflicting news has been issued recently about the attractiveness of Wales as a holiday destination. Have you considered day trips, short breaks or holidays in Wales?

I have been in Los Angeles to see the LA Times Travel Show, one of the largest in the US. I expected to see stalls promoting parts of California, the Caribbean and Asia but Wales?

What Have the Tourist Boards Ever Done For Us?
It’s a facetious question of course. They are there to provide us with information and suggestions of where we might holiday. They are a support group who, when we are stranded for ideas or accommodation, ride to the rescue. But they are undergoing change and what we have now may be different in the future. The main regionaltourist authorities such as South West Tourism and Welcome To Yorkshire are funded by the regional development agencies. But this are being wound up by the government. Funding will come from elsewhere but it has led to cutbacks already. South West Tourism will cease to exist as from next April and Cumbria Tourism has faced large cutbacks already.

No this isn’t a salacious tabloid story but David Cameron made a speech on tourism and, as holidaymakers, we are all involved. Or should be. As I wrote a couple of days ago, I can’t remember the last time any Prime Minister paid any more than lip service to it. Yes, there was praise and comment at the appropriate time but hard-core support was limited. Will this time be any different?
Everyone travels, holidays or has a day out so everyone is affected and should be interested. But did the PM ask what we want?

UPDATE: Due to the election and the rush by the government to get legislation through, this tax alteration has been dropped. That’s not to say it may not be reintroduced if Labour wins the election but, for the time being, things remain as they are.
Unless you own property that is used as a holiday letting, you may not be aware of the new tax rules that come into being from April 6th. A lot of owners are giving serious consideration to selling up or stopping making their cottages and houses available as holiday lets so there could be a shortage available in the future.
What has brought this about?

If you have been to Wales in the last year or two -or be interested in golf- it is hard to void the fact that the Ryder Cup is coming to the Celtic Manor Resort this coming September. So much has Visit Wales pushed the Ryder Cup possibilities that some people wonder why else you should go there. But after the Cup, people will still play golf and it isn’t only Wales that has courses.
After Homecoming in 2009, Scotland has to decided that it will attract golfers with its Drive it Home promotion.

Each country asks visitors from time-to-time whether they would revisit their country. Today, customer satisfaction specialists say that there are only a few questions that matter. They are whether you would revisit and would you recommend to your friends and relatives. (The reason for asking whether you would recommend to friends is that you are felt to be more likely only to recommend it to people you know if you were really happy to do so.)
So in the latest survey by Visit Wales, 70% of people said they would revisit and 86% said that they would recommend. These are high figures so, naturally, Alan Ffred Jones, the Assembly minister responsible for tourism and Visit Wales are rather pleased.

A Yorkshireman living in Wales who writes a blog called, “Dalesman’s Welsh Ramblings” has won the top prize in a competition organised by Visit Wales. Brian Sherwin is the Yorkshireman and he describes his blog as a mixture of photos, walks and things he likes to do.