Year of the Sea – Epic Seascapes
Welcome
to the first of our four themes for Year of the Sea - Epic Seascapes, which will run from January to
March, followed by:
- Coastal Capital and Communities (April to June)
- Coasts Alive (June to September)
- Connected Coasts (October to December)
The themes enable Visit Wales to focus on specific marketing content for that time of year. Epic Seascapes will be
about winter beach breaks, coastal pubs with log fires, unique places to
stay over the winter, dog friendly beaches and wellness breaks. Our Epic
Seascapes film features Kirsty Jones (one of our Year of the Sea
Ambassadors).Take a look here.
Let us know about your Epic Seascapes events and
experiences by sending them to Productnews@gov.wales and keep an eye on visitwales.com
to see what we are featuring.
Campaign activity
Marketing
campaigns promoting Wales as a holiday destination are now underway with a
major burst of activity happening in March. You can get behind the
campaigns by sharing content and tagging #FindYourEpic and #GwladGwlad.
Our In-Wales
campaigns have included press and digital advertising on walesonline and the
Daily Post. Advertorials currently running include ‘The ultimate 50 things to do on the Welsh coast” and an online
Guide to the Welsh Coast.
Our TV
campaign film featuring Hollywood actor Luke Evans will be back on air and on
video on demand during March in Wales and England. As part of the Wales Week in London activities we have extensive advertising at Waterloo station
between 26 Feb and 11 March. On 1st March we’ll be using the giant Waterloo
motion screen to showcase Wales’ beautiful landscapes and seascapes and
bringing some calm and serenity to the UK’s busiest railway station.
A multi-platform campaign
to promote Wales in Ireland will also run throughout March on TV and video
on-demand; as well as digital campaigns. We are also delighted to work in
partnership again with Irish Ferries, Stena Line and Flybe to promote direct
routes – by sea and by air – to Wales.
In Germany we
have various campaigns promoting the Year of the Sea and the Wales Way. These
include a supplement and competition in National Geographic and working in
partnership with Lonely Planet, Flybe, P&O, Secret Escapes and outdoor
retailers in Germany, Sportscheck and Globetrotter, on online and printed campaigns.
We will also be present at ITB Berlin on 7-11 March 2018, promoting Year of the Sea and the Wales
Way .
Practical Year of the
Sea marketing tools for your business
Have you seen our
Marketing tools to help you create your own Year of the Sea marketing
activities for your business? They include our Year of the Sea industry
guide, digi-banners, promotional wording and a collection of coastal images. Take a look and get involved with Year of the
Sea here.
Wales
Week in London – Where Wales meets
London, where London celebrates Wales
Taking place from 24 February to 10 March, Wales Week in London
showcases the activities of existing London-based Welsh communities and helps
celebrate and promote the best of Wales, in London. We will be showcasing our
Welsh Food and Drink at taster events and running a local TV and media
advertising campaign, in which we will celebrate our Epic Shores and promote
Wales as a place for living and business.
This includes adverts in Waterloo Station from 27 February, a video on
the big screen in Canary Wharf from 1 –10 March, a St David’s Day pull out in the
Evening Standard along with a variety of other digital advertising across
different media.
With a busy calendar of events including the Welsh Tech
Showcase 'Disruptive Influencers: Wales Next?' on 7 March and Civil
Nuclear Showcase 2018 from 27 – 28 February, it provides a great
opportunity to not only attend but also for exhibitors and sponsors. Find out
more and how to get involved here.
Volvo Ocean Race comes to Cardiff – get ready
In a race
around the world visiting twelve cities and touching six continents, the Volvo
Ocean Race will stop over in Cardiff, for the very first time in its history.
From 27 May to 10 June 2018, The Volvo Ocean Race
festival site, called the Race Village, will be located on the scenic Cardiff
Bay Barrage and the two week free event will host a variety of entertainment
and Volvo Ocean Race-themed attractions.
The fleet of
7 boats are due to arrive in Cardiff from Newport on the East Coast of the
United States, sometime on or sometime after 27th May – this may be
in the middle of the night and their exact approach will depend on wind, tides
etc. The fleet then departs for Gothenburg, Sweden on Sunday 10 June at 4pm; out
through the Bristol Channel and heading for the Irish Sea.
Find out more
and stay updated here, helping you, your guests and visitors
plan.
Stay up to date with
tourism and skills news
Make sure you stay up to
date by following us on twitter on @VisitWalesBiz
. You can also catch up with news on the Tourism pages of the Welsh Government
website and find out more about support for
improving skills in tourism here.
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