Denbighshire’s Tourism Team are celebrating Wales Tourism Week with the release of a legendary film, website and brand new Tourist Information Point.
The new film has been produced as part of Visit Wales’ Year of Legends campaign and showcases the variety of tourism attractions and landmarks in the county including Moel Famau, Coed Llandegla Forest, Castell Dinas Bran, Pro Kitesurfing, Penycloddiau, Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin Gaol, Denbigh Castle and the Rhug Estate. The Rhug Estate is also home to a new Tourist Information Point to make visitor information about Denbighshire’s main attractions more widely available to visitors. The project has been a partnership approach with Corwen Business Group providing a trailer, Rhug Estate providing a prime site close to their restaurant and shop, and Denbighshire County Council bringing the project together. Visitors to Rhug will be provided with information about Corwen and the surrounding area designed to encourage them to visit one of Denbighshire’s key historical towns. Ian Lebbon, Chair of the Denbighshire Destination Partnership, said: “This is a great example of how organisations are working together locally to boost the industry and place Denbighshire firmly on the visitor map. “Tourism plays a vital part in Denbighshire’s economy, with a total economic impact in 2015 of over £450 million and nearly 6 million visits made. Over 6,000 full time jobs were supported by tourism spend, an increase of 7.4% compared to the previous year. “We have a wealth of attractions, facilities and services available in the county and we need to capitalise on opportunities such as Wales Tourism Week to help promote the county far and wide”. Ian West of Corwen and District's Business Association said: "the Association was delighted to provide the trailer for this joint venture with Denbighshire County Council and Rhug to promote the growth of tourism in Denbighshire. We hope that this will bring increased visitor numbers to Corwen and nearby areas." Wales Tourism Week takes place from 15-21 May, to raise the profile of the tourism industry and to highlight its huge revenue generating value. The theme this year will focus on the opportunities it provides for jobs and careers. Adrian Barsby, from Wales Tourism Alliance coordinators of Wales Tourism Week said: “Wales Tourism Week provides a platform for all of us involved within tourism and the wider visitor economy to celebrate the wonderful and varied career opportunities available throughout the myriad of companies and organisations that give visitors to Wales and Denbighshire lasting memories and inspiration to return time and time again whilst learning about and experiencing Wales unique, culture, history, landscapes and of course legends!” Llangollen Tourist Information Centre will be joining in with the weeks’ celebrations with professional String Duo 'Cariad' performing in the Centre on Saturday May 20th, 2pm - 4pm. Take a look at the new film and website at www.discoverdenbighshire.wales
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There are a number of tourism-related references including:
2. Ban zero hours contracts 3. Introduce four new public holidays 4. Double paid paternity leave to four weeks and increase paternity pay
This year’s Wales Tourism Week - May 15-21 – was launched at the Senedd, Cardiff Bay today (May 11). The Wales Tourism Alliance (WTA), the voice of the tourism industry in Wales, is co-ordinating the week-long ‘celebration of our tourism heroes' in association with Visit Wales and the tourism industry.
The WTA has chosen the occasion to challenge the Welsh and UK Governments to realise the potential of the tourism industry and wider visitor economy in their post Brexit plans. Adrian Barsby, Chair WTA laid out the challenges and opportunities facing the industry when the UK leaves European Union. Adrian Barsby introduced Grenville Chamberlain, Chair Caravan & Motorhome Club sponsors of the event, Grenville briefly spoke about the changing marketplace and consumer needs, particularly in relation to the growth of Motorhome use. Suzy Davies AM Chair Tourism & Hospitality Cross Party Group gave a briefing as to the importance of the industry in terms of revenue generation and also mentioned the ongoing work of the Cross Party Group. Margaret Llewellyn OBE, Chair Ministerial Tourism Advisory Board touched on the progress made against the current tourism strategy ‘Partnership for Growth’, highlighting success and projecting forward with thoughts as to how the industry can move forward into a new era. Margaret welcomed the focus on internationalism and discussed skills development in the industry. “Brexit presents challenges for the tourism industry in Wales but also great opportunities for growth in business and employment,” said WTA chair Adrian Barsby. “It is a time when the rules are being re-written. Let it be done in a way which realises the potential of the tourism industry and wider visitor economy.” A week of activities ends with a tourism summit on the theme of internationalism in Llandrindod Wells on May 18 where Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, will be the keynote speaker. This year’s Wales Tourism Week theme aims to highlight the profile of the industry, its huge revenue generating value and the job and career opportunities it provides. “We want tourism associations and businesses to engage and showcase the fantastic breadth and depth of talent we have here in Wales,” added Mr Barsby. “This is what really counts and what makes us able to deliver that vital economic contribution to Wales and our local communities. Unlike other industries, tourism benefits reach all parts of Wales.” A full listing of the events taking place can be found on the Wales Tourism Alliance website http://www.wta.org.uk/wales-tourism-week.html The WTA, along with its partners, is calling on tourism associations, trade organisations and businesses across the country to undertake events that highlight the importance of the industry over the week. Any organisation wishing to add an event to the list should email adrian@wta.org.uk with details, including the date, time and location. ENDS For more information, please contact Adrian Greason-Walker, Wales Tourism Alliance, on 07749 785147. Advertising Standards Authority has ruled against companies advertising “free guided tours”9/5/2017 The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled against companies advertising “free guided tours” where there is an expectation that the tourists will be pay for the tour by tipping the guide.
This ruling relates to the upsurge in the number of operators advertising free tours and then pressuring customer to tip the guide at the end of a tour. These operations run in a similar way to companies like Uber where someone pays web platform company to offer their services as a self-employed guide. The difference being that the while the provider has to pay the website (usually on a per customer basis) the website advertises the tours as being “free”, so the provider has to gain tips from the customers in order to repay the platform operator and to make money. This practice is both misleading for customers and has significant issues in terms of visitor experience and product quality. As a result, the ASA has developed the attached guidance to restrict this type of activity. A European Study put together by HOTREC (www.hotrec.eu) provides a large number excellent examples of the beneficial impacts of lowering VAT for the tourism industry from different European countries. They conclude that the main benefits of reducing VAT on accommodation and meals are:
1. Maintaining International Competitiveness Many emerging tourism destinations have low VAT rates 2. Employment The labour-intensive nature of the industry means that reducing VAT is a good way to boost employment 3. Investment and Treasury Low VAT rates boost investment (and therefore the quality of the offering) and increase overall VAT returns 4. Levelling the Playing Field Lower VAT reduces the competitive advantage of small sharing economy businesses operating below the VAT threshold 5. Lower Prices Lowering VAT provides price cuts to customers |