Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted
Paragraph: 59
VisitBritain's current approach to promoting Wales lacks distinctiveness and adequate commitment.
Conclusion
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.
Government Response Summary
VisitBritain says it recognises the importance of marketing in supporting the wider visitor economy, ensures all parts of Britain are sold in international markets, and ensures all Welsh content is shared with Visit Wales.
Paragraph Reference:
59
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
VisitBritain recognises the importance of marketing in supporting the wider visitor economy, and does so by ensuring that all parts of Britain are sold in international markets – connecting trade partners, hosting events to connect buyers and suppliers, and promoting positive stories of Britain to the international media using social and digital channels. A new commercial website launched in December 2022 promotes visitor offers, including from Wales, in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. A new industry website will also be launched imminently. VisitBritain ensures all Welsh content is shared with Visit Wales and regular meetings provide an opportunity for Visit Wales to review and give feedback on the perception of Wales as a distinct location across marketing materials. The Tourism Exchange GB (TXGB) is a digital Business to Business platform that brings together tourism businesses. It enables suppliers to manage live availability, pricing and bookings across multiple distributors. TXGB has been working with Visit Wales for the last 12-18 months, and is on-boarding more Welsh products. Both VisitBritain and Visit Wales are conscious that creating bookable product is an important part of making more experiences and attractions visible to visitors, which makes TXGB an important element of how they work with industry. In total, VisitBritain has already had over 180 leads and expressions of interest from Wales-based tourism businesses, including over 60 that were interested in the recent VisitBritainShop.com National Lottery campaign. The VisitBritain shop is working to increase the number of Welsh products available. Suppliers can approach the VisitBritain shop to be included on the platform and, where there are particular gaps, VisitBritain will reach out to suppliers to invite them to join the platform. In the past year, the number of Welsh products available on the VisitBritain shop has increased. This is partly due to campaigns like the National Lottery Days Out campaign, where UK consumers can redeem lottery tickets to receive a £25 voucher via the VB shop for attractions across the country.