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Tourism chiefs hold 'positive' meeting with Minister

TOURISM leaders from Mid Wales have held a “very positive and constructive” meeting with the Welsh Government’s minister for business, enterprise, technology and science, Edwina Hart.

Mid Wales Tourism’s chairman Anne Lloyd-Jones and chief executive Val Hawkins met the minister in Newtown yesterday to discuss the work of the independent organisation, which represents 550 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and Meirionnydd.

Digital marketing, the development of ‘Show Me Wales’, the first pan-Wales tourism app of its type, business support and ongoing work to promote Mid Wales as a holiday destination were all on the agenda at the meeting.

Mrs Hart said: "Having just launched our new marketing campaign it was good to hear how Mid Wales Tourism is working with us to promote the region as a holiday destination. Tourism is worth more than £3.5bn to the Welsh economy and creates and supports a significant number of jobs, particularly in the rural areas of Wales."

Mrs Hawkins added: “We welcomed the opportunity to explain what we do and how we support tourism businesses across the region with our own marketing campaigns. We reiterated the importance of the tourism sector to the Mid Wales economy and emphasised the need for continued support from the Welsh Government.

“We discussed ways in which marketing in Wales could be supported in the future by the Welsh Government to take account of the changing economic environment in which we are now working.

“It was a very positive and constructive meeting and we were really pleased with the interest and knowledge shown by the minister. She was very interested in the support that we provide for businesses, our new ‘Show Me Wales’ app and wanted to hear our views on digital marketing.”

Mrs Lloyd-Jones said: "I was very pleased with the keen interest that the minister showed in the work of Mid Wales Tourism company, the development of our innovative marketing strategy and her clear understanding of the importance of tourism to the Welsh economy and the crucial role of the private sector in our industry."