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Select committee: Welsh Affairs Committee

Wales as a global tourist destination

Closed Opened 8 Feb 2022 Closed 7 Mar 2024 14 recommendations 4 conclusions

Welsh Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The Welsh Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry which seeks to explore the current position of the tourism sector in Wales and the steps the UK Government can take to help promote Wales to the world.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 8 February 2022.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination on 12 July 2023.

The government's response

Published 2 November 2023. The deadline was 12 September 2023.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government sets out existing VisitBritain and Visit Wales activity in response to the Committee's recommendations on promoting Wales, and on transport states its support for a western rail link to Heathrow is conditional.

  • On a Wales brand and strategy, the government says Visit Wales "leads on the development of a tourism brand specifically for Wales", with VisitBritain working with it so these brand values are reflected in the GREAT Campaign.
  • On tour operators, it says "uptake by Welsh organisations could be improved" and that VisitBritain "will continue to liaise with Visit Wales" so tourism benefits are spread across all Home Nations.
  • On the Heathrow rail link, support is "predicated on" a satisfactory business case and agreement of an acceptable financial contribution from Heathrow Airport Limited, and assumptions need to be "reconsidered" after the pandemic.
  • On transport funding, it cites £2.7 million announced on 2 February 2023 for options on the South Wales Main Line and additional stations, with decisions on further Welsh study proposals to be announced "in due course".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Recommendations and conclusions

All 18 recommendations and conclusions

Reports

All reports

Evidence

  • 5 oral evidence sessionsLatest 1 February 2023
  • 24 witnesses
All evidence

Recent activity

Recommendations and conclusions 18 shown

1: Wales maintains a low international profile, attracting few overseas visitors to the UK

Conclusion · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Concluded (the committee's words)
Wales has a unique culture and language, boasts some of the most spectacular landscapes in Europe and offers a wide range of sporting activities. We are concerned by Wales’ relatively low profile overseas and that it attracts such a small proportion of the international visitors coming to the UK.

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2: Strengthen Wales' international marketing with a clear brand to attract more overseas tourists

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We believe that there a is lack of awareness of Wales’ strengths as a holiday destination. Wales lacks a coherent brand for the overseas market. Marketing of Wales must be stronger, with a clear theme devised to attract international tourists based on Wales’ unique strengths and attractions.

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3: Empower Visit Wales to swiftly capitalise on new international marketing opportunities.

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We believe that there is substantial potential for growth in the Welsh tourism market as the global economy recovers post covid-19, and that the tourism bodies responsible for promoting Wales need to grasp that opportunity. Visit Wales must be nimble enough to capitalise on emerging opportunities to market Wales to an international audience, such as the huge international popularity of “Welcome to Wrexham”.

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4: Develop a joint strategy and distinctive brand for Wales's international tourism promotion.

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that VisitBritain and Visit Wales work together to develop a strategy, by February 2024, for promoting Wales as a first-choice destination for international visitors to the UK. A key aspect of this should be the development of a distinctive brand that raises awareness of Wales, which can be used consistently to help market Wales and to raise awareness of its location as a holiday destination.

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6: VisitBritain's current approach to promoting Wales lacks distinctiveness and adequate commitment.

Conclusion · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Concluded (the committee's words)
It is important that UK Government bodies responsible for promoting Wales abroad reflect the distinct identity of each part of the UK in their activities. We are not convinced that VisitBritain is achieving all it can on behalf of Wales. A single Chief Executive for both VisitBritain and VisitEngland does not inspire confidence that VisitBritain is committed equally to increasing tourism to all nations of the UK. We question whether VisitBritain has the knowledge and expertise required to successfully promote Wales and its attractions. We heard criticism of the UK Government’s GREAT campaign in promoting Wales. We remain to be convinced that Wales has benefited from this campaign.

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7: VisitBritain's marketing materials and tour packages insufficiently promote Wales's distinct attractions.

Conclusion · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Concluded (the committee's words)
VisitBritain does not sufficiently promote Wales in its marketing materials, nor does it make a focused offering to international tourists of Wales’ attractions. Wales can be reached from London within a few hours. However, it is often not included in UK holiday packages offered by tour operators.

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8: Encourage tour operators to include Wales in UK holiday packages as a distinct destination.

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
When developing a joint strategy to promote Wales, as a distinct destination, we recommend that VisitBritain and Visit Wales encourage tour operators to include Wales in UK holiday packages. We expect VisitBritain to report its progress on this issue by February 2024.

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9: Improve VisitBritain's marketing materials to reflect Wales's distinct identity and tourism offerings.

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
VisitBritain should make improvements to better reflect Wales as a distinct location, with an increased Welsh presence in its marketing materials and a greater number of Welsh tourism offerings featured on its website. VisitBritain should report to us on progress made by February 2024.

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10: Report 2023 international visitor figures for Wales, compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We await to see whether current VisitBritain marketing campaigns will lead to an improvement in international visitor numbers to Wales, compared with 2019 figures. We expect VisitBritain to report 2023 international visitor figures to us by February 2024.

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11: Improved co-operation between VisitBritain and Visit Wales is essential for consistent marketing.

Conclusion · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Concluded (the committee's words)
During our inquiry, we have heard different messages regarding the levels of engagement between VisitBritain and Visit Wales. We welcome recent efforts to improve this relationship. This must remain a priority, as good co-ordination is necessary to marketing Wales in a consistent manner.

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12: Replicate high levels of Visit Wales and VisitBritain co-operation in all overseas offices.

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We were very pleased with the level of co-operation we found between Visit Wales and VisitBritain in New York and Washington. We recommend that this level of co-operation is replicated across the UK’s and Welsh Government’s other overseas offices.

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13: Require Welsh Government to consider establishing an independent tourism agency for Wales

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
While we are impressed by much of the work of Visit Wales, we question whether the Welsh Government might be better served if the body had greater independence. We call on the Welsh Government to consider whether an independent tourism agency would better serve the interests of Wales.

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15: Poor transport infrastructure significantly hinders Wales' ability to attract international tourists

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We are concerned that poor transport infrastructure has a negative impact on Wales’ ability to attract a greater share of international tourists who arrive in the UK. Transport infrastructure has been underfunded by the UK and Welsh Governments for a number of years. Transport infrastructure spending should be considered a higher priority for spending than at present.

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16: Require UK and Welsh Governments to develop proposals for funding transport infrastructure improvements

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We call on the UK Government and the Welsh Government to recognise the key importance of transport to the tourism industry. We urge the UK Government and the Welsh Government to bring forward proposals to address these issues, focussing on the potential positive impact on tourism of resolving this infrastructural deficit. The UK Government and Welsh Government must look creatively at ways to better fund transport infrastructure projects.

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17: Prioritise positive consideration for a new direct rail link to Heathrow from the west

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
In particular, we urge that positive consideration be given to the proposed new direct rail link to Heathrow Airport from the west. This would hugely improve connectivity between Wales and Heathrow and make it much easier for international tourists to come to Wales.

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18: Require Welsh Government to re-examine visitor levy and mitigate negative tourism impact

Recommendation · Fourth Report - Wales as a global tourist destination · Addressed to Wales Office

Recommended (the committee's words)
We are concerned that the proposed visitor levy may have a negative impact on the number of international tourists coming to Wales. While we see some benefits that might accrue from the proposal, there are other ways in which these might be achieved. We feel that the proposal, as it stands, may have a negative impact on the attractiveness of Wales to international tourists, and on the viability of affected businesses in the tourism sector. However, we note that decisions will be taken locally, with those on the ground able to best assess whether the levy would be appropriate in their localities. We ask the Welsh Government to re-examine this issue, and if they are still intent on implementing the levy, to consider ways of mitigating its potentially negative impact on the tourism sector.

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Reports

1 report

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions

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Date Session and witnesses Source
1 Feb 2023
Oral evidence session
Duncan Parish · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Heledd Owen · Welsh Government, Jason Thomas · Welsh Government, Patricia Yates · VisitBritain/VisitEngland, Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP · Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Vaughan Gething MS · Welsh Government 		View ↗
20 Jul 2022
Oral evidence session
Anthony Pickles · VisitBritain, Professor Annette Pritchard · Leeds Beckett University, Professor Dorothy A. Yen · Brunel University London 		View ↗
15 Jun 2022
Oral evidence session
Ian Roberts · Portmeirion Cymru, Paul Lewin · Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways, Sean Taylor · Zip World, Stephen Davies · Penderyn Distillery 		View ↗
25 May 2022
Oral evidence
Camilla King · Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Fiona Stewart · Green Man Festival, Graeme Farrow · Wales Millennium Centre, Louise Miles-Payne · UK Theatre, Matthew Williams · Welsh Sports Association 		View ↗
20 Apr 2022
Oral evidence
David Anderson · National Museum Wales, David Chapman · UK Hospitality, Gwyneth Sweatman · Federation of Small Businesses Wales, Ian Edwards MI FIH · The Celtic Collection and ICC Wales, Rebecca Williams · The Crown Estate, Suzy Davies · Wales Tourism Alliance 		View ↗

Who gave evidence

24 witnesses

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WitnessOrganisationSessions
Anthony Pickles · Former Head of Tourism Affairs VisitBritain 1
Camilla King · Executive Producer Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 1
David Anderson · Director General National Museum Wales 1
David Chapman · Executive Director for Wales UK Hospitality 1
Duncan Parish · Deputy Director for Tourism and Cultural Diplomacy Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 1
Fiona Stewart · Managing Director Green Man Festival 1
Graeme Farrow · Artistic and Creative Director Wales Millennium Centre 1
Gwyneth Sweatman · Head of Communications Federation of Small Businesses Wales 1
Heledd Owen · Deputy Director of Marketing Welsh Government 1
Ian Edwards MI FIH · Chief Executive The Celtic Collection and ICC Wales 1
Ian Roberts · Finance Director Portmeirion Cymru 1
Jason Thomas · Director of Culture, Sport and Tourism Welsh Government 1
Louise Miles-Payne · Director, Creu Cymru and Board Member UK Theatre 1
Matthew Williams · Policy and Communications Manager Welsh Sports Association 1
Patricia Yates · Chief Executive VisitBritain/VisitEngland 1
Paul Lewin · General Manager Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways 1
Professor Annette Pritchard · Professor of Tourism Management Leeds Beckett University 1
Professor Dorothy A. Yen · Professor in Marketing, Brunel Business School Brunel University London 1
Rebecca Williams · Director of Devolved Nations The Crown Estate 1
Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP · Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society Department for Culture, Media and Sport 1
Sean Taylor · Founder and President Zip World 1
Stephen Davies · Chief Executive Penderyn Distillery 1
Suzy Davies · Chair Wales Tourism Alliance 1
Vaughan Gething MS · Minister for Economy Welsh Government 1