Tourism Industry Update
Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi, St David’s Day: 1 March - Random Acts of Welshness. Get involved!; Ministerial responsibilities; Wales sea-ing a big boost in cruise calls in 2023; Getting the basics right: £5 million tourism fund launched; Helping businesses cut energy costs: Welsh Government and Development Bank launch new Green Business Loan Scheme; Only three weeks left to share your views on levelling the playing field for visitor accommodation in Wales; More than £5.4 million for new Football Museum for Wales in Wrexham; Celebrating Dydd Miwsig Cymru: £100,000 for grassroots Welsh language music; Supporters urged to celebrate Cambrian Mountains Day on 28 February; National Eisteddfod 2023: 5 - 12 August; Royal Welsh Show 2023: 24 - 27 July; FOCUS Wales 2023: 4 - 6 May, Wrexham; Turn food waste into Welsh power; Survey on the provision of Immigration Advice Services in Wales
Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi, St David’s Day: 1 March - Random Acts of Welshness. Get involved!
This St David’s Day we’re celebrating our patron saint and all things Welsh by remembering his famous guiding words – ‘gwnewch y pethau bychain’ – do the little things.
We’ll be carrying out a social media celebration of our nation, that showcases the good things we do for each other, for our communities and for our world.
Join us this St David’s Day by doing your own little act of Welshness, and sharing it on social media. Have a look on Random acts of Welshness | Wales.com for inspiration on random acts to carry out on 1 March.
The main film for the campaign has been posted on our @walesdotcom social channels: Facebook; Instagram; Twitter.
Please share with any of your own stakeholders - these could be businesses, groups or organisations in Wales and around the world, who can help amplify our content and get involved.
Assets for use across your social media are available in our St David’s Toolkit: Get ready to celebrate and join in using #RandomActsofWelshness / #PethauBychain and #StDavidsDay / #GwylDewi.
The #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste Food and Drink Wales campaign is also back this St. David’s Day to support Welsh food and drink. You can find out more on #LoveWalesLoveTaste | Business Wales - Food and drink (gov.wales).
Ministerial responsibilities
This statement alerts Members to a small change to Ministerial responsibilities within the Economy portfolio.
The Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Chief Whip, Dawn Bowden, will now take the lead on matters relating to tourism in and to Wales.
The List of Ministerial Responsibilities remains otherwise unchanged and is available on: List of Ministerial Responsibilities.
Wales sea-ing a big boost in cruise calls in 2023
Wales will welcome the highest number of cruise ship calls to date this year, with 91 ships expected to call at Welsh ports.
The cruise calls will include more than 80,000 passengers and 39,000 crew, which equates to a potential passenger day spend income of £8.3 million for the Welsh economy.
The first calls of the 2023 season will be on 6 April, when the Hurtigruten Spitzbergen sails into Fishguard, while the Viking Venus sails into Holyhead.
For the first time this year, Holyhead will welcome the prestigious MS Queen Victoria in June - which is the 3,000-passenger ship’s first call at the port since the new ownership by Stenaline of the deep water berth in Holyhead.
Cruise is big business in Wales, and the Welsh Government / Cruise Wales has been working with partners to develop and promote new onshore tour itineraries for passengers, showcasing more of Wales’ attractions to cruise lines and ground handlers. The Coal, Coin and Cheers tour put together by The Rhondda Heritage park, The Royal Mint and Hensol Castle in South Wales is an example of businesses working together to develop an exciting and authentic day tour.
Welsh Government investment in infrastructure has also helped to attract more cruise lines to call in Wales. This includes the award of £147,000 through the Tourism Investment Support Scheme in 2017 for the construction of a dedicated cruise passenger tendering pontoon and associated landing facilities at Fishguard Harbour, which has attracted larger cruise ships into the port.
Read the announcement in full on Wales sea-ing a big boost in cruise calls in 2023 | GOV.WALES.
Getting the basics right: £5 million tourism fund launched
The Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, has launched a £5 million Brilliant Basics tourism fund for 2023 to 2025.
Brilliant Basics is a capital fund to deliver small-scale tourism infrastructure improvements across Wales and is open to local authorities and national park authorities.
Previous projects funded by Brilliant Basics have included electric vehicle charging points, improved toilet and car parking facilities, accessible changing places facilities and improved signage and interpretation panels.
Brilliant Basics will also support projects that improve accessibility at sites and those that make their destinations more environmentally sustainable.
2023 is Wales’ Year of Trails which presents the tourism sector with an opportunity to showcase attractions, landscapes and coastline through routes and trails. Brilliant Basics will encourage local authorities and national parks to consider the entire visitor experience and the essential infrastructure that makes a trail experience complete, from pathways, to parking to making facilities accessible for all.
The closing date for expressions of interest is the 16 March 2023. Full details are available on: Getting the basics right: £5 million tourism fund launched | GOV.WALES.
Helping businesses cut energy costs: Welsh Government and Development Bank launch new Green Business Loan Scheme
A major new loan scheme to support businesses in Wales cut their energy costs by taking steps to become greener and more energy efficient has been launched by the Welsh Government and Development Bank of Wales.
With the ambition to invest £10 million over the next 3 years, the new Green Business Loan Scheme, which will offer discounted interest rates and flexible repayment dates, will help businesses make improvements allowing them to reduce their carbon footprint, supporting Wales’ journey to become net zero by 2050.
Projects which could be supported by the loans include:
- investing in renewable energy technology;
- improving the fabric of premises and energy efficiencies within the building;
- upgrading systems or machinery to reduce energy use;
- water usage and waste reduction/improvements
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Only three weeks left to share your views on levelling the playing field for visitor accommodation in Wales
The Welsh Government is calling for organisations to complete their consultation on establishing a statutory licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation providers in Wales. We want to hear from all areas across the industry, including providers of B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels, self-catering accommodation, camping and glamping sites, caravan and touring parks, holiday villages and any other businesses which cater to visitors in Wales.
The primary aim is to establish a level playing field for all visitor accommodation businesses operating in the sector. The concern around the lack of a level playing field has been a long-standing area of discussion with concerns certain parts of the sector do not meet or comply with their statutory obligations.
Find out more and please share your opinion with us through the consultation on: Statutory licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation providers in Wales | GOV.WALES.
The consultation closes 17 March 2023.
More than £5.4 million for new Football Museum for Wales in Wrexham
The Welsh Government is providing a further £5.45 million for the new Football Museum for Wales in Wrexham.
The funding is part of an agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru.
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden made the announcement on a visit to the city and comes at a time when interest in Welsh football is at an all-time high.
The museum, which will be within Wrexham Museum and see a substantial redevelopment of the building, will celebrate Wales’ football heritage and help build a legacy from the nation’s involvement in the men’s FIFA World Cup 2022, ensuring its history is valued and stories are recorded for future generations of players, supporters, and fans.
Read the announcement in full and written statement.
Celebrating Dydd Miwsig Cymru: £100,000 for grassroots Welsh language music
As gigs and events took place across the country on the eighth annual Welsh Language Music Day, the Welsh Government announced extra funding so people enjoy even more Miwsig.
The extra funding will create a grants scheme to bring people together, with the money targeting grassroots music, local promoters, and small venues. This support will help more people to bring gigs to their local communities, making sure everyone gets a chance to enjoy Welsh music and use their Cymraeg.
Further details can be found on Celebrating Dydd Miwsig Cymru: £100,000 for grassroots Welsh language music | GOV.WALES.
Supporters urged to celebrate Cambrian Mountains Day on 28 February
Businesses, residents and visitors alike are being encouraged to join in the celebration of the second Cambrian Mountains Day on 28 February.
Cambrian Mountains supporters are being asked to fly the flag on social media by sharing their favourite image, experience or place and using #cambrianmountainsday and #cambrianmountains in their messages on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
“Supporters might have a modern take on the Cambrian Mountains or a memorable event, encountered in this super mountain range,” said Dafydd Wyn Morgan, projects manager for Cambrian Mountains Initiative CIC.
“There are so many top Cambrian Mountains themes around at the moment, including nature, heritage, trails and dark skies. Branded local produce is popular too and don’t forget the natural beauty!
“We hope supporters join us in celebrating this astounding part of Wales, in the year of ‘Llwybrau: Wales, by Trails’.”
Cambrian Mountains Initiative has created a special video for supporters to use for free on social media that promotes trails in the Cambrian Mountains. Take a look on Cambrian Mountains trails celebrated in "Llwybrau : Wales, by Trails" videos (thecambrianmountains.co.uk).
National Eisteddfod 2023: 5 - 12 August
The National Eisteddfod, Wales’ largest cultural festival, will take place in Llŷn and Eifionydd, Boduan, Gwynedd from 5 to 12 August 2023.
Traditionally a competition-based festival, which attracts over 6,000 competitors each year, the Maes (site) itself has grown and developed into a vibrant festival with hundreds of events and activities for the whole family.
The festival attracts some 150,000 visitors each year. Find out more about the opportunities it offers businesses on National Eisteddfod 2023 | Business Wales (gov.wales).
Royal Welsh Show 2023: 24 - 27 July
The Royal Welsh Show 2023 will be held from 24 July to 27 July.
Along with an exciting four-days of livestock competitions, with entries travelling from far and wide to compete, the show has something to interest everyone through its wide range of activities including forestry, horticulture, crafts, countryside sports, shopping, food and drink and a 12-hour programme each day of exciting entertainment, attractions and displays.
For further details visit: Royal Welsh Show 2023 | Business Wales (gov.wales).
FOCUS Wales 2023: 4 - 6 May, Wrexham
FOCUS Wales is an international multi-venue showcase festival which places the music industry spotlight firmly on the emerging talent that Wales has to offer the world, alongside a selection of the best new acts from across the globe. Taking place from 4- 6 May, it will welcome 20,000 attendees and see over 250+ acts from Wales and around the world descend upon Wrexham.
Find out more on FOCUS Wales 2023.
Turn food waste into Welsh power
In Wales, most recycled food waste is turned into renewable energy which powers Welsh homes and communities. Pretty powerful stuff, right? And you can help make it even mightier. Take a look at some powerful tips, facts and stories on Turn food waste into Welsh power | Wales Recycles | Where and How to Recycle.
Survey on the provision of Immigration Advice Services in Wales
A survey is being conducted on the provision of Immigration Advice Services in Wales to collect the viewpoints of businesses and individuals on the current supply and demand for immigration advice services across Wales.
It will acquire information to help determine whether businesses that are looking to recruit from overseas have the necessary support to do so and if reasons for not recruiting from abroad include a lack of immigration advice/support.
It will also look to obtain information from those in Wales who are here on a visa, about their experiences in using the immigration system, what would support them to extend their visas or change their visas, and if that support would include immigration advice. Find out more and complete the survey on Survey on the provision of immigration advice services in Wales.
Stay up to date with tourism industry news
Take a look at our latest Visit Wales industry newsletters and bulletins: Tourism Newsletter/Bulletin | Business Wales (gov.wales).
These include the latest tourism industry news from Wales and information for the industry on Coronavirus (COVID-19).
For specific support and advice about dealing with coronavirus, from financial and supply chain planning to advice on staffing issues, we would advise tourism businesses and stakeholders in Wales to visit the Business Wales website or call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000. You should regularly visit the Public Health Wales website for up-to-date public health information for you, your staff and your visitors.
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