News from South East

The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex will return to Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in 2017 following the huge success of Wales’ first Senior Major championship this summer. 

More than 43,000 spectators lined the fairways of the revered Bridgend links in July to witness Bernhard Langer produce one of the stand-out performances in the history of senior golf to win the title for a second time, finishing 13 shots clear of 2010 Ryder Cup-winning captain Colin Montgomerie.

Cardiff ‘Card’ - With funding from the Visit Wales Regional Tourism Engagement Fund, the City of Cardiff Council in conjunction with the Cardiff Tourism Network, Waterfront Partners and others are investigating the feasibility of setting up a pass type card that would enhance the visitor experience to the region and seek to extend the length of visitor stays. The ‘Card’ will appeal to all sectors – attractions, accommodation, retail, travel as well as food and hospitality, with an emphasis on flexibility, ease of use and value for Money. Atherton Consultancy Services have been engaged to undertake the research for the Feasibility Study and the production of a Business Plan by early 2015, ready for a trial run at Easter 2015.  There will be an opportunity for direct engagement in the process via a short questionnaire in January 2015.

The shortlist was announced this week for the National Tourism Awards for Wales, held next year at the Vale Resort, Hensol on 25 March 2015.  There is a wide ranging mix of businesses on the shorlist with South East Wales well represented.  Take a look at the shortlist 

Regional Support

The Regional Tourism Engagement Fund has been set up to support destinations within the South East region. Funds have been allocated up until March 2015 but another round of funding will be available from April 2015. All projects are aligned to our Partnership for Growth strategy and will play a part in achieving our target of 10% growth by 2020. 

Viv and Alice work closely with the rest of the Visit Wales team and as your first point of contact we are happy to discuss any queries you may have about this fund.

Key projects funded in South East Wales

Here's a reminder of some of the current tourism projects in the South East Wales area:

Tourism Investment Support Scheme (TISS) Last year support from TISS totalled £1.9 million was approved support 33 projects in total.  £2.3m was awarded to The Royal Mint, Llantrisant to support a proposed new visitor experience expected to open in 2017 based on the Mint’s story, including a factory tour. Penhein Farm Glampsite received £20,000 TISS Funding to establish a new high quality glampsite near Chepstow and went on to win the Glamping Location of the Year award by Sawdays.      The award honours both the outstanding place to stay, as well as the host’s commitment to creating a unique guest experience. Penhein Glamping continues to inspire guests to enjoy the adventure of the outdoors with unforgettable experiences away from home.

Wales Economic Growth Fund In 2013 the Ty Newydd Country Hotel in Rhondda Cynon Taf redeveloped the existing function room and restaurant to create a self sustainable restaurant offering quality traditional and modern Welsh dishes. £50,000 funding was approved creating 7 jobs.         The Celtic Manor Resort refurbished existing facilities.  £100,000 funding was approved creating 25 jobs and safeguarding a further 25.

Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF) Following the severe weather over the winter period, Visit Wales administered £2.3 million from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF) aimed at repairing affected tourism infrastructure at key destinations around Wales. Part of the fund also supported proactive PR and targeted marketing to ensure the message that Wales is open for business was communicated. Monmouthshire was awarded £80k for repairs to the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal towpath. The work stabilised the embankment which had ‘slipped’ after it had become so saturated with rain over the wet winter period that it slumped down the hillside. The full stretch of towpath that runs alongside the canal is also now open, with walkers, cyclists and other towpath visitors previously using a short diversion.

Partnership for Growth (P4G) Fund 

This fund promotes joint working and collaborative projects to support sustainable tourism development. 

We have supported projects with various partners in South East Wales: 

Monmouthshire County Council are leading on the Walking With Offa project which aims to develop the Walking with Offa product including training, interpretation, "Walkers are Welcome" schemes across the route and sense of place.

Sustrans are leading on the Celtic Tales Project  This project will expand the current Taff Tales route interpretation to all key selected traffic-free walking and cycling routes linking tourist destinations along the National Cycle Network (NCN) in Wales. 

Environment for Growth (E4G)

The Environment for Growth programme was key in delivering key strategic priorities namely Coastal and Sustainable Tourism. With projects totalling over £35 million since 2010, developing 7 iconic Centres of Excellence in Wales as well as coastal improvements along our beaches.

In South East Wales, Bike Park Wales, Gethin Woods, Merthyr Tydfil is a prime example of strong commitment to community engagement, particularly a programme of working with local schools.  

It opened in August 2013 and had to open the gates earlier than advertised due to queues forming on the A470. There is already demand for increased capacity, and the target for visitors in year 1 has already been exceeded. An accommodation listing for visitors highlighting operators within a 10 mile radius is available. Four new self-catering operators have established in the area as a direct result of Bike Park Wales. 

Plans for future developments include a new red trail, more car parking facilities, increased uplift facilities and coaching sessions. 

Destination Partnership updates

We have ten destination partnerships across South East Wales; 

• Monmoutshire
• Newport
• Torfaen
• Blaenau Gwent
• Caerphilly
• Cardiff
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Vale of Glamorgan
• Bridgend

These partnerships are crucial to developing the destinations within South East Wales. We will be working very closely with all ten partnerships and have already allocated funding to the partnerships up until March 2015, through our Regional Tourism Engagement Fund (RTEF) to deliver projects on the ground from generating PR for destinations to updating visitor facilities and interpretation.   

Regional Tourism Engagement Fund

The new Regional Tourism Engagement Fund (RTEF) was set up in October and all tourism destinations were invited to submit applications for support until 31 March 2015. 26 applications have been approved totalling £426,000 for the whole of Wales.  In the South East Wales region £142,900 has been awarded to 10 destinations for activities such as: marketing, destination development, skills activities, database management, engagement and partnership support. More details of these projects will be in the next newsletter.

How we can help your business

Tourism Investment Support Scheme (TISS) TISS is a grant for new and existing Welsh tourism businesses looking to upgrade the quality of facilities and increase capacity where there is a gap in the market. We offer up to 25% funding for projects, from £5,000 to £500,000.

Visit Wales star grading scheme Stars are a recognised sign of quality and provide reassurance to guests that you’ve been fully inspected before they check in.  We know for a fact that guests consider star quality grading important when choosing somewhere to stay.  Apply online now.

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Destination Management Wales website A website for all those involved in the development of tourism destinations and the delivery of the visitor experience. You'll find information on your role in creating a successful destination, who else is involved and where they fit in, lots of links to useful sites and sample destination management tools.

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