North Wales Tourism have and are still working hard on behalf it’s members on issues that are affecting the industry.
We are in constant contact with the local MSs and MPs on these issues and are also lobbying side by side and working closely with the Wales Tourism Alliance to drive forward the importance of the industry to the economy of Wales and the effects and implications of these issues on the businesses and industry as a whole. We are also working closely with the local press and media to raise the issues affecting us to make sure the voice of our valuable industry is heard.
Amongst the issues we have undertaken are:
- 182 Threshold for Self Catering
- Second Homes
- Visitor Levy
- Statutory Licensing
- Reform of School Year
If you have any questions/queries please do not hesitate to contact us, by email (contacts below), social media channels, online chat on the Trade website or phone. Please email jim.jones@gonorthwales.org.uk; eirlys.jones@gonorthwales.org.uk or deborah.nettleton@gonorthwales.org.uk with any issues etc you may have.
Please also make sure that you are kept up to date with all the information as they happen by visiting our Trade site www.northwalestourism.com and following us on our NWTBiz social media platforms (facebook and twitter), all of which are regularly updated.
2024 Go North Wales Tourism Awards / Gwobrau Twristiaeth Gogledd Cymru 2024
The eighth Go North Wales Tourism Awards was this year held on Thursday 21st of November at Venue Cymru, Llandudno.
We received over 230 applications, all worthy of recognition, such is the strength, depth and variety of the tourism and hospitality offer across our region. The hardest part of any awards falls to the judges, who had the unenviable task of shortlisting the finalists for the evening.
For the first time in many years, award winners from some of the regional categories will also feed into the national Visit Wales Awards, to be held in Spring 2025.
Congratulations to all the winners and shortlisted nominees.
Winners on the night were:
- New Tourism Business of the Year Award sponsored by Guestline – Sawna Bach – The Scenic Sauna
- Go Resilience and Innovation Award sponsored by Plas Dinas Country House Hotel – Anglesey Sea Zoo Marine Conservation Centre
- Go Marketing & Media Recognition Award sponsored by Heart North and Mid Wales – SF Parks
- Go Pet Friendly Award sponsored by holidaycottages.co.uk – Waterloo Hotel
- Go Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award sponsored by Hafan y Môr Holiday Park – Tŷ-Pren
- Go Rising Star in Tourism & Hospitality Award sponsored by Coleg Llandrillo Menai – Hugh Owen – Bearded Men Adventures
- Go B&B, Inn and Guest House of the Year sponsored by Aber Falls Distillery – The Bull’s Head Inn
- Go Hotel of the Year sponsored by Castell Howell Foods – Plas Dinas Country House Hotel
- Go Self Catering of the Year sponsored by Pario Leisure Group – Hafan Y Mor Holiday Park
- Go Glamping, Camping, Caravanning and Holiday Park of the Year sponsored by Carbon Zero Renewables Ltd – Go Below Underground Adventures
- Go Cruise North Wales Award – The Best Immersive and Sustainable Tour sponsored by Cruise Wales – Atgof – Making Memories in Wales
- Go Attraction of the Year sponsored by SF Parks – Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways
- Go Activity or Experience of the Year sponsored by Snowdonia Hospitality & Leisure Ltd – Bearded Men Adventures
- Go Best Event of the Year Award sponsored by Penderyn Distillery Llandudno – Gŵyl Fwyd Caernarfon
- Go Eating Out Experience Award sponsored by Office Equipment Systems Ltd – The Gunroom Restaurant – Plas Dinas Country House
- Go Tourism Supplier of the Year Award sponsored by Booking.com – Wild Horse Brewing Co
- Go Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award sponsored by Development Bank of Wales – Hafan Y Môr Holiday Park
- Go North Wales Tourism Service to Tourism Award sponsored by Tir Prince Leisure Group – Adam Williams, owner of Llandudno Pier
Further information on the awards available – https://gonorthwalestourismawards.website/
Advertising Opportunities
Bedroom Browsers – Attractions Compendium
The publication is a spiral bound, A4 landscape brochure encompassing attraction leaflets/activity providers. The brochure is distributed to all accommodation members of North Wales Tourism; Reference copies to all Wales and Border TICs; North Wales & North West Libraries; Tour operators for itinerary purposes; visiting journalists; exhibitions etc.
Opportunity includes a leaflet insert within the brochure or artwork space on either inside front and back covers. Limited number of half and quarter page advert spaces also available.
For further information please contact Eirlys Jones on 01492 539058 or e-mail eirlys.jones@gonorthwales.org.uk
Group Travel Trade and Mice Campaign
A bi-annual campaign promoting the destination and its products to both the Travel Trade and Business Events markets.
The campaign gives partners the opportunity to reach those travel trade and business events contacts plus group organisers who are developing North Wales’ itineraries and packages.
Great Days Out in North Wales Campaign
The campaign includes a pocket style leaflet featuring:
- attractions
- activities
- discount vouchers and a
- colour coded map
plus a
- dedicated website with downloadable leaflet
- special offer vouchers
- QR Code
- promotion on our social media channels and consumer enews database.
- We will also be attending exhibitions and consumer shows to promote what North Wales has to offer.
As an added bonus this year too you will get an opportunity to feature your business with a banner advert on the main visitor website www.gonorthwales.co.uk for a 3 month period.
For further information please contact Carol Beard on 01492 531731 or carol.beard@gonorthwales.org.uk
If you have not yet booked your distribution for 2025 season please contact a member of the distribution team on 01492 531731 or to book your distribution space please email croeso@nwt.co.uk.
The Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill
A bill to give local authorities the option to introduce a small visitor levy in their area to re-invest in local tourism, is today introduced by Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford.
The Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill proposes that people staying overnight in Wales and enjoying everything the country has to offer will pay a small charge. The money raised will support local tourism activity and infrastructure.
The introduction of the legislation marks the delivery of a key Programme for Government commitment and will help to invest in the future of Wales as all visitors staying overnight would contribute to the preservation of the country’s beauty and heritage.
It would provide local communities the opportunity to generate additional revenues. If all Welsh local authorities choose to introduce a visitor levy, it is estimated it could generate up to £33 million a year.
The levy would be set at:
- 75p per person per night for people staying in hostels and on campsite pitches.
- £1.25 per person per night for those staying in all other accommodation types.
The legislation also includes a requirement to establish and maintain a register of visitor accommodation in Wales, which would – for the first time – provide a register of the broad range of visitor accommodation available across the country.
Local authorities will decide if they want to introduce a levy in their area, based on what is best for their communities. It is estimated the earliest this could happen is 2027 after a local authority has consulted their community.
A statutory registration scheme for all accommodation providers is expected to start operating in 2026 to support the collection and administration of a visitor levy.
It will include details about who is operating in the sector, where they are operating, and how they are operating, and help establish a better understanding of the sector and support future policy decisions at a local and national level.
Welsh Tourist Attractions to Strike
Following an emergency meeting The Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions (WAVA) which represents over 100 of the leading visitor attractions in Wales passed a resolution recommending that members close down their attraction for one day on Tuesday 10th December.
The reason for the above action is in response to the Welsh Governments (W.G) proposed tourism tax where their own government reports indicated such a tax would damage the Welsh tourism industry.
In the latest W.G. government report,** it was stated that in the worst scenario over 700 tourism jobs could be lost by this tax, with a revenue loss of £40 + million. W.G. figures were based only on a 1.6% drop in visitor numbers. Many in tourism expect the drop to be more.
Comments from members at the EGM :-
Comment. “Few people in Wales realise that this tax will also apply to them. Hence, if Welsh people take their holiday in Wales they are taxed, but if they go to England for their holiday they won’t be taxed. Only one thing is certain about this proposed tax and that is like all taxes they go up.”
Comment. “I just don’t know where I am going to find £25,000 to cover the increase in my wages bill and N.I increases”.
Comment.”I did not realise that we were going to have to add VAT on top of the £1.25 tourism tax, and that children would be charged the same as an adult.”
Comment.”700 private tourism jobs could go, but there will be an increase in public sector jobs as a result of this tax. Wales already has the highest number of civil servants compared to the rest of G.B. Wales. Thirty-one percent in Wales and twenty four percent in G.B.”
Comment. “The W.G does not listen to us despite going to meeting after meeting and writing dozens of letters. They know it all, but the declining visitor numbers say differently.”
Comment. “I am suffering from mental stress owing to the W.G. continuously putting hurdles in the path of my business. I feel like retiring and giving up the fight.”
Comment.” “What sane government, apart from those in communist regimes, would knowingly risk putting 700 of their own people out of work in order to collect more tax from businesses that are contracting and need help? We should be encouraging visitors to come to Wales and not taxing them for coming. What the W.G. is proposing is complete economic madness.”
Comment. “WAVA should get a legal opinion from a Competition Law and Human Rights lawyer on whether the proposed visitor levy can be challenged on the grounds that it is making our industry uncompetitive and business owners human rights are being impacted by the combination of recent WG policies.”
Many members also commented that last year there was a 23% drop in the number of visitors staying overnight in Wales*, and 60% of Welsh attractions saw less visitors than in 2023. Also, no WAVA attraction is achieving the visitor numbers they once had pre-Covid. Welsh tourism is the slowest to recover from Covid compared to other UK tourism regions. (All leading experts in Welsh tourism had advised the W.G. not to go ahead with a tourism tax.)
WAVA members also wished to show solidarity and support for the Welsh self-catering sector by this strike action. Self-catering operators in Wales are being ravaged by the W.G.182-day rule resulting in many closures, job losses and reported high stress levels from owners.***
Tourism is Wales second largest industry, but members felt the future looked increasingly grim owing to the W.G. negative attitude towards tourism, and subliminal anti-English rhetoric.
Members felt they had to take the strongest possible action to show their anger with the Welsh Government, hence their call for strike action. Members voted for more direct action to follow.
WAVA Press Officer – Ashford, Dan Yr Ogof Showcaves. Contact. 07989 855 313.
Further contacts :-
Jim. Go North Wales. 07525 934742.
Simon. Silver Mountain Experience.07990573972.
Colin. Cantref Adventure Park. 07977120533.
Roy. Gower Heritage. 07974243748.
Frankie. Anglesey Sea Aquarium. 07904120980.
Jules. Manorafon Farm Park. 01745833237.
*(Domestic GB tourism stats (overnight trips 2022/23.)
**Report produced by Calvin Jones of Cardiff Business School and Welsh Government.
***Professional Association of Self-catering surveys.
New Review 182 Day Threshold Campaign Underway in Wales
In support of PASC North Wales Tourism are supporting the launch of a new campaign to try and persuade the Welsh Government to carry out an Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) and a formal review of the 182-day threshold. We are working in conjunction with other associations and colleagues from across the Welsh Visitor Economy.
Please take part in lobbying your MS and MP by using the iParl Letters template:
https://pascuk.eaction.online/Review182Q4
Simple to do – Just click on the link and you will be asked for postcode (Welsh one, of course). You can modify the provided text in any way that you choose. Once you press send, you will automatically be transferred to a second letter to send to your MP. The letters will then be tracked in checking how many each MS/MP gets and use this to follow up to try and secure meetings with them..
Visit Wales Croeso 25:
How to get involved – resources and assets now available
January 2025 will see the launch of the Croeso 25, the next in our series of themed years and our flagship marketing campaign for Wales, Hwyl (the Welsh word for fun) – which will focus on the feelings of fun and joy that you can experience “Only in Wales”.
Toolkit for the Year of Croeso is now available, to help stakeholders work closely with Visit Wales once again, to shout even more loudly to the world about our unique Welsh Croeso (welcome) and celebrate our iconic experiences, products, destinations and culture, that can be found only in Wales; must do experiences that we want to invite visitors to feel, taste and see.
The toolkit includes Visit Wales’ new Working with Us guide, the Croeso 25 logo and high-quality imagery for industry to download and use in related marketing activity. Take a look and download them on Assets: Year of Croeso Toolkit | Visit Wales. Some key messaging for use in your material will be provided soon – be sure to check back.
Website listing – Updating your Details
Your individual listing on our website is your main opportunity to present your business to the public. However, like any advertising it must be regularly maintained to ensure that it is correct, current and really works for you.
- When did you last check it?
- When did you last update it?
- Are your pictures great?
- Is your listing better than that of competitors?
Please login and update your entry on https://extranet-wales.newmindets.net/ If you have forgotten your password please click on the “forgotten your password” link and enter your registered email address (to reset). If you can’t remember your registered email address, please call 01492 531731 and ask for a member of the digital team alternatively email digital@gonorthwales.org.uk or visit https://northwalestourism.com/go-north-wales/update-your-go-north-wales-listing/ for assistance with updating your details
Late Availability
Let us help you promote any late availability or midweek deals.
All you have to do is complete the short form here: https://northwalestourism.com/late-availability-form/
Visitors will be able to search through all late availability dates by location and property type from the Go North Wales website. This will also be promoted across our social channels.
Promote your Events
Are you hosting an event in North Wales? Would you like to have exposure on our events section for free? Simply fill out the form on the link below and your event could appear on our webpage.
Digital Opportunities
Would like further promotion of your business?
Why not contact us to find out what other opportunities are available to enhance your promotion on our website. Opportunities include banner advertising, newsletter, blog, social media collaboration. Bespoke packages can also be developed to fit with your marketing budget.
For further information on the opportunities available please contact digital@gonorthwales.org.uk.
TXGB helps you reach new customers, drive sales and boost your profitability!
It is a free-to-join platform that uses your current booking system to connect you to a wider range of distributors such as Visit Wales and other destination websites. There is no set up costs. You simply pay a 2.5% booking fee to TXGB only on bookings generated – plus commission of the chosen distributor.
Join once to access multiple sales channels, including Go North Wales.
All tourism businesses including accommodation, tours, events, activities and attractions can use the platform.
Reach new international and domestic audiences on the VisitBritain Shop.
Booking systems already connected to the platform includes:
- Bookalet
- Fareharbor
- Gemapark
- Little Hotelier
- SiteMinder
- Bookeo
- TrekkSoft
- Real time two way data sharing – Show live availability and prices with your chosen sales channels and receive bookings directly into your system with full customer data.
- Direct payment channels – Get paid directly, at point-of-sale, protecting cash flow and customer data, while ensuring bookings are made on your terms.
- Free & easy to join – Connect to TXGB via your current booking system, or use the inbuilt sales tool, TXLoad, for free.
- Optimise commission costs – Access a wide range of unique, low-commission channels alongside established well-known brands.
- Completely flexible – Pick the best distribution partnerships for you via the simple ‘opt in / out’ marketplace on your user-friendly dashboard.
- No booking, no fee – No setup or monthly subscription fees. Just a 2.5 percent TXGB booking fee, plus the commission of your chosen sales channels. Go North Wales is commission free for North Wales Tourism members.
For further information on TXGB and to get connected https://northwalestourism.com/business-support/marketing/txgb/
Booking Integration
If you are with any of the booking companies below and would like to make your entry on www.gonorthwales.co.uk bookable then please let us have you ID reference and we will complete this for you. Contact digital@gonorthwales.org.uk
Are you engaging with Visit Wales Opportunities?
Wales Tourism Product Database (WTPD) – Are you listed on the WTPD database that feeds the Visit Wales website? If you are not, are graded and would like to appear on the website please contact visitwalesopps@northwalestourism.com
Do you have a product ready to sell to the Travel Trade and Business Events market? If so, you could also be included on these separate websites. MeetInWales.com, TravelTrade.VisitWales.com
Working with the B2B markets on Travel Trade and Business Events, provides a great opportunity to attract a wider global reach from new and existing markets to your tourism business.
By establishing effective relationships with key tour operators, travel agents, business event buyers, business event planners and agencies, and engaging a mix of distribution partners, you can find an effective route to market and reach your target audiences.
To learn more about how you can get involved in Visit Wales Travel Trade and Business Events promotion please email visitwalesopps@northwalestourism.com
Carbon Zero Renewables are still offering free energy saving reviews for NWT members looking to reduce their carbon footprint. This is a free service with an agent coming to the property to look at options and solutions available to the site owners.
- Carbon Zero Renewables are also offering safety audits of existing solar installations for fire safety compliance. Some older systems may need reviewing against new insurance guidance from Aviva and Zurich. Also some newer system installed under grants, may not be designed and installed with fire safety and maintenance in mind.
- UK Leisure Living are offering free advice and guidance around saunas and hot tubs in commercial/business settings. Compliance is key around the control of legionnaires disease.
- AI Global Robotics still have a great deal on robots waiters for hospitality businesses. Only £100+vat a week to hire
For further information please call 0845 034 35 40 or email info@carbonzerogroup.limited.
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