Tourism Development
in Wales
Gerwyn Evans Head of Tourism Development, Visit Wales
Record year in 2015
UK
• 10.5 million GB staying visits (record), related expenditure £1,975
million (record)
• Year-on-year growth in visits and spend since 2012 (trips + 9% and
spend +24% since 2012)International • 970,000 trips, related expenditure £410 million (record)
• Year-on-year growth in visits and spend since 2012 (trips +14% and
spend +18% since 2012)
Sustained Growth in 2016
• International visits +15% over first six months, related expenditure +8%
• Day visits in year ending November 2016 +33% and related spend
+44%.
• 82% of businesses in Wave 4 of Business Barometer (November 2016)
reported a higher or similar level of visitors compared to 2015 (46%
higher, 36% similar).
Encourage communication between schemes/programmes
Coordinated Approach
TISS
RDP
HLF
E4G
VVP
COE
CCF
WEGF
RTEF
P4G
TPIF
INTERREG
Surf Snowdonia, Dolgarrog
• £1.5m support creating 43 jobs.
• 300m x 113m surfing lagoon.
• ‘Crash & Splash’ pool, indoor play centre, waterside restaurant, 100 pitch camp site.
• World first to market ‘Wavegarden’ with waves up to 2 metres.
• Constructed on a brownfield site.
• 75,000 visitors (est.) per year.
Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm, St Davids
• £36,400 support creating 5 jobs.
• New visitor all weather attraction
• Niche restaurant.
Alpine Coaster
• UK’s first Alpine Coaster
• £1.27m cost and support £320,000
• 35 toboggans along a 1 km long track
• All year round attraction
Pembrokeshire Wake Park
• Wales’ second Wake Park
• Local family business
• 160m lake
• Plus paddle boarding & swimming
• Support £28,544
Kinmel Hotel, Abergele
• Project was to upgrade to a 4 Star 42 bed hotel with spa and treatment rooms.
• Won the ‘Best Spa In Wales’ by The Good Spa Guide.
• £450k support
• Created 26 FTE jobs
Nanteos Mansion, Aberystwyth
• £162,500 support creating 13 jobs.
• 5 star Restaurant with Rooms
• Aim to add a spa facility and upgrade to 5 Star Hotel.
Twr y Felin, St Davids
• £499k support creating 19.5 jobs.
• Create a 4 Star ‘Art Hotel’.
• Latest addition to the Retreats Group’s portfolio including:
• Roch Castle, nr Haverfordwest and …
• Penrhiw Hotel, St Davids.
TISS - Wye Valley canoes, Glasbury
• £38,840 support creating 4 jobs
• Accredited canoe centre situated on the banks of the River Wye.
• 14 bed modern 5 Star bunkhouse facility.
• Attract high end activity market; includes a slide to descend from the first floor.
• Bring back to use a listed property
YHA Pen-y-Pass, Llanberis
• £150,000 support to upgrade and increase capacity.
• Strategic hostel location in a changing YHA business.
• 4 Star Hostel and 4.5 new jobs.
Hay Castle, Hay on Wye
• Create a multi-functional cultural, history, and education space• £120k TISS Support
Dylan’s Restaurant, Criccieth
• New 140 cover destination restaurant
• Only hospitality business in Wales Fast Growth 50 in 2015
• £140k support
• Created 30 FTE jobs
The Royal Mint Experience, Llantrisant
• £2.3m support• Visitor Centre & Guided Tour Experience
Go Air Trampoline Park
• £59,060 support• All weather family attraction at Llanishen, Cardiff• Expansion potential
Principality Stadium (Pitch)
• £1,700,000 of support
• To install a new Desso Grassmaster pitch system
World of Boats
• £150,000 of support
• A new boat based visitor attraction
Cardiff International White Water Centre
• £1,000,000 of support
• Creation of an Olympic standard white water canoeing facility
Cardiff Castle
• £25,000 support (2012)• The removal of the existing shop to
free up space to the front of the castle, providing additional public realm space
Cardiff Castle
European Funding – Attractor destinations
Ten regionally prioritised strategic tourism infrastructure projects being
delivered around Wales.
Total project cost £85mn (£27.7mn ERDF)
North Wales
• Caernarfon,
• Conwy Coastal Tourism and
• Holy Island International Visitor Gateway
Mid Wales
• Wales Railways to the World – Vale of Rheidol
South East Wales
• Porthcawl Resort Investment Focus (Coastal Activities),
• Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Adventure Triangle,
• Adventure Welsh Valleys - Rock Adventure Centre
South West Wales
• Wales National Centre for Coastal Tourism (Saundersfoot),
• Pendine Land Speed Cultural Centre and Eco Resort Complex,
• Llys y Frân Water Park
European Funding – Rural Development
€30m /£24m total spend over 4/5 financial years.
Private Sector Support
Small Scale Infrastructure
Marketing Support
Revenue Funding2015/2016
• Regional Tourism Engagement Fund - £1,006,448 awarded to 24
projects
• Partnership for Growth (P4G) – £240,000 awarded to 8 projects
• Tourism Product Innovation Fund (TPIF) - £328,760 to 15 projects
2016 / 2017
• RTEF - £871,224 to 16 projects
• TPIF - £409,515 to 19 projects
2017/2019 - TBC
Key aim of all the funds is to develop stronger partnership working and
collaboration between industry stakeholders, and align Visit Wales
marketing and development activity
Cardiff Activity 2016/17
Business Tourism Campaign £70,000
Cardiff Concierge Programme £30,000
Business Tourism – To sustain and develop the groundwork undertaken by #MCCR
campaign (RTEF 2015/16) which aimed to position and present the region as a suitable
destination for Business Tourism and to develop a campaign presence at relevant events
and exhibitions. The ultimate aim being to convert enquiries to bookings.
Cardiff Concierge Programme – To build on the development of the Cardiff Cultural Trail
by highlighting points of cultural interest across Cardiff and its region by extending and
developing to include a further series of themed trails that will link into and complement
the Visit Wales thematic years. In addition, the aim is to engage with customer facing
and frontline staff to strengthen their product knowledge and awareness of the region
ensuring that every visitor interaction ahs a positive impact on the overall visitor
experience
TPIF 2016-17
Blwyddyn Chwedlau 2017
Year of Legends 2017
Year of the Sea
THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS?