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?