Tourism Industry Update
BULLETIN CONTENTS: Experiences for the Travel Trade; VisitBritain’s Leisure Travel Trade Events Programme; Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme – Review; Workplace Recycling, let's get it sorted; Be Mighty. Recycle Campaign - Partner Webinar, 8 February; New phone number – Quality Assurance; Are you displaying the correct grading plaque at your establishment and electronic logo/s on your website?; Helping visitors explore our religious heritage; Wanted: latest news and offers from attractions across Wales; Welsh Language Music Day 2024; Apprenticeship Week 2024, 5-11 February; Dark Skies Week 9-18 February; Join the new Cambrian Mountains Aurora WhatsApp group; Welsh Government Consultations; Investment Fund for Wales – Roadshow Events; Energy Saving Trust online event – installing EV charging in the tourism industry; Business Wales news updates.
Experiences for the Travel Trade
Visit Wales’ Travel Trade team are regularly meeting operators at exhibitions and workshops or via contact from our enquiry inbox. One of the regular requests is for operators looking for immersive experiences or things to do. These can include an activity such as a cookery class, luxury / VIP experiences, taking a behind the scenes tour with an expert or taking a tour when the venue is normally closed to the public e.g. evening private tours. Operators often like to offer this as an opportunity unique to themselves or something the consumer can’t book independently. They are often prepared to pay a premium for this and could be for either groups or Fully Independent Travellers e.g. individuals, couples, friends or families.
One such example is offered in the Elan Valley, where Pen-y-Garreg Dam tours are only available to the public on selected open days but a private tour for the Travel Trade can be arranged, offering a great ‘behind the scenes’ experience.
We would like to hear from you if you do offer ‘experiences’ for the Travel Trade. Please send details of your experience or what you think you could offer the Travel Trade to traveltradewales@gov.wales for our reference to help us fulfil enquiries.
VisitBritain’s Leisure Travel Trade Events Programme
VisitBritain has shared with us their proposed events programme for 2024 and 2025. There is an opportunity for you to register your interest to attend those most suitable for your business. For any enquiries please contact Events@visitbritain.org.
Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme - Review
Activity Businesses - we need your feedback!
Visit Wales is currently undertaking a review of our Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme. If you run an activity business in Wales, please help us by completing this short survey (approx 5 mins). The closing date for survey responses is Friday 16 February: Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme Review Survey (surveymonkey.com)
If you would like further information on the review or the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme please e-mail regionaltourism@gov.wales.
Workplace Recycling, let's get it sorted
From 6 April 2024, it will become law for all businesses, charities and public sector organisations to sort their waste for recycling. This includes:
- Hospitality and tourism - restaurants, bars, pubs, bed and breakfasts, hotels, campsites and caravan parks, holiday accommodation, and licensed premises
- Showgrounds
- Entertainment and sports venues including leisure centres
- Transport - bus stations, railway stations, seaports, airports, and heliports
- Education - universities, colleges, and schools
- Heritage buildings
- Libraries and museums
- Places of worship
- Outdoor markets and festivals
The Welsh Government is introducing this law to improve the quality and quantity of how we collect and separate waste: Workplace recycling | GOV.WALES
Further Welsh Government guidance is also available: Changes to workplace recycling: guidance for workplaces | GOV.WALES
To assist your organisation prepare for the new law, WRAP Cymru are running a series of sector-specific webinars. These webinars are designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the waste regulations. Further details about the webinars are available here: Webinars: Embrace the legislative changes in Wales | Business Wales (gov.wales)
In its role as regulator, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will be responsible for overseeing the separation requirements and the bans on waste going to incineration and landfill. The team at NRW is on hand to help workplaces comply with the new regulations and manage their waste in the right way: Natural Resources Wales / Separated waste collections for workplaces
Be Mighty. Recycle Campaign - Partner Webinar, 8 February 2024
WRAP Cymru’s latest Be Mighty. Recycle food waste campaign will be launched on Monday 26 February. The “Burst 3” campaign will span 4 weeks until 18 March, coinciding with Food Waste Action Week in its final week (18-24 March).
To discover how your organisation can help make a real difference within your communities, for Wales and the planet, sign up for the pre-launch webinar taking place at 11am on Thursday 8 February: Webinar Registration - Zoom
New phone number – Quality Assurance
The Visit Wales Quality Assurance department telephone number has now been changed to 0300 062 2418. This replaces the previous 0845 010 8020 number. The email address remains the same quality.tourism@gov.wales.
You can find useful quality assurance information here Star quality grading | Business Wales (gov.wales).
For business advice and support provided by Business Wales please continue to call
03000 6 03000.
Are you displaying the correct grading plaque at your establishment and electronic logo/s on your website?
If you are displaying old signs at your premises and/or the wrong website electronic logo/s this can make your establishment look out of date and outside the Visit Wales branding family. To find out details about replacing your outdated sign, please refer to Star quality grading | Business Wales (gov.wales). Even while you're waiting for the correct sign to arrive, you can change the logo/s on your website.
Please email quality.tourism@gov.wales and we can send you the right logo/s by return, so you can replace the old artwork on your website.
Helping visitors explore our religious heritage
Wales has a fascinating religious heritage with much of it available to enjoy. Over recent years, the National Churches Trust, with support from Visit Wales has delivered the ‘Experiencing Sacred Wales’ project, working with tourism and faith heritage partners to welcome visitors by creating experiences and trails linking faith and wider heritage sites.
There is so much to learn from unlocking the doors of the churches, chapels and ancient places of worship in Wales. Places of worship can help visitors to discover Wales’ remarkable sacred spaces with support and tips from the National Churches Trust.
The National Churches Trust have also recently appointed a dedicated Wales support officer as part of the Cherish funding awarded to them by National Lottery Heritage Fund. This provides advice and training on grants and maintenance to keep places of worship in good repair. For further information email Gareth Simpson.
Wanted: latest news and offers from attractions across Wales
If you are an attraction that has offers and/or something new going on this Easter and spring, please let us know today. We are looking to add the latest information to visitwales.com and share details with our PR and media contacts.
Plus, all tourism and hospitality businesses are invited to let us know what they have planned for the summer and what’s new for 2024. Email us on productnews@gov.wales.
Welsh Language Music Day 2024
Welsh Language Music Day takes place on 9 February 2024 and celebrates all forms of Welsh Language music. Whether you’re into indie, rock, punk, funk, folk, electronica, hip hop or anything else, there’s incredible music being made in the Welsh language for you to discover.
Whether your business will be celebrating from your workplace or at home, there’s still lots of ways you can get involved. For further details visit Welsh Language Music Day 2024 | Business Wales (gov.wales)
And for fresh new tunes from Welsh artists check out the Creative Wales Playlist on Spotify which is updated monthly.
Apprenticeship Week 2024, 5-11 February 2024
National Apprenticeship Week, the annual celebration of apprenticeships and the value they bring, takes place from 5 to 11 February 2024. Information about how to sign-up as an apprentice employer and how to recruit an apprentice can be found at: Apprenticeship Week 2024 | GOV.WALES
Dark Skies Week 9-18 February
2024 welcomes the third annual Welsh Dark Skies Week. The National Parks and Area’s of Outstanding Natural Beauty are working together to raise awareness of light pollution and how this impacts our view of the stars, our health and wildlife. Take a look at the week of events taking place: Welsh Dark Skies Week (discoveryinthedark.wales)
Join the new Cambrian Mountains Aurora WhatsApp group
There are nine Dark Sky Discovery Sites Discover Dark Skies | Cambrian Mountains | Wales (thecambrianmountains.co.uk) along the Cambrian Mountains Astro Trail. Cambrian Mountains accommodation providers are being encouraged to sign up to the Cambrian Mountains Aurora WhatsApp group.
If you join the group you'll get live updates of any aurora activity in the night sky above the Cambrian Mountains as they happen, encouraging you and your guests to get outside and view or photograph the astounding northern lights. For more details visit Cambrian Mountains Aurora What's App group launched! (thecambrianmountains.co.uk)
Welsh Government Consultations
Welsh Government consultations can be found on Consultations | GOV.WALES and include:
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The structure of the school year - We want your views on proposals to amend school term dates. So that terms are more equal in length, with more evenly distributed breaks, for maintained schools in Wales. Consultation ends: 12 February 2024 Find out more on: The structure of the school year | GOV.WALES
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Bathing water review Wales 2024 - We want your views about our proposal to identify The Warren, Hay-on-Wye and Nefyn Beach, Nefyn as bathing waters under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 for the 2024 bathing season. Consultation ends: 19 February 2024. Find out more on: Bathing water review Wales 2024 | GOV.WALES
UK Government consultation:
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Consultation on age verification in connection with alcohol sales - The Home Office has launched a consultation on whether to allow digital identities and technology to play a role in age verification for alcohol sales, as well as whether to amend legislation in order to specify that for sales of alcohol that do not take place face to face, age verification should take place at the point of delivery as well as sale. Consultation ends 30 March 2024. Find out more on: Alcohol licensing: age verification.
Investment Fund for Wales – Roadshow Events
The British Business Bank is holding a series of events, aimed at smaller businesses, to celebrate the recently launched £130 million Investment Fund for Wales, which offers a range of commercial finance options – smaller loans from £25,000 to £100,000, debt finance from £100,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million.
These events will help you to understand the different funding options available through the fund and will be an opportunity for you to meet the appointed fund managers:
- Llandudno – 20 February 2024, 9.30am to 12pm
- Aberystwyth – 21 February 2024, 9.30am to 12pm
- Swansea – 22 February 2024, 8am to 10:30am
- Newport – 22 February 2024, 2:30pm to 5pm
For more information, go to: Investment Fund for Wales – Roadshow Events | Business Wales (gov.wales)
Energy Saving Trust online event – installing EV charging in the tourism industry
Join the Energy Saving Trust, on Tuesday 6 February at 1pm, for their roundtable discussion on how to install EV charging at your tourism destination with particular emphasis on how you can work with your Distribution Network Operator (DNO).
There will be an opportunity to discuss key issues facing the industry and potential solutions.
This event is aimed at organisations that work in or with the tourism industry and is relevant to businesses in Wales as well as Scotland and England.
For more details and to register visit: Installing EV charging in the tourism industry - Energy Saving Trust
Business Wales news updates
Make sure you never miss the latest news and blogs from Business Wales - go to: News and Blogs | Business Wales (gov.wales). Some of the latest articles include:
Please subscribe to the Business Wales newsletter at Welsh Government (govdelivery.com) – once signed up, you can sign in and manage all your Welsh Government subscriptions in one place.
Stay up to date with tourism industry news
View previously published Visit Wales industry newsletters and bulletins: Tourism Newsletter/Bulletin | Business Wales (gov.wales).
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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