A major tourism campaign to promote North Wales as the Adventure Capital of Europe has been boosted by news that five top attractions are planning to invest £30 million and create 500 new jobs over the next five years.
The famous five - Adventure Parc Snowdonia, GreenWood Family Park, Llechwedd, RibRide and Zip World – have joined forces with North Wales Tourism supported by the Welsh Government’s tourism team, Visit Wales, to launch the new drive
The aim of the £165,000 campaign is to increase visitor numbers to North Wales and boost the tourism economy - which is already worth £3.2bn in the region - by an extra two per cent, equivalent to £64 million.
All five firms are chipping in to help fund the marketing plan to target the Midlands and the North West of England across a variety of media platforms.
It will incorporate social media influencers, radio advertising and digital billboard advertising on trams in Manchester City Centre and high footfall areas including Liverpool Airport and Liverpool Underground.
Jim Jones, managing director of North Wales Tourism, which is leading the campaign, said: “The primary aim is to enhance North Wales’ position in the global marketplace by growing and leveraging our existing strength which is adventure. This will make us more economically diverse.
“We are looking to promote North Wales as the Adventure Capital of Europe. This campaign has been developed by the private sector, supported by Visit Wales, and approaches adventure as an all-encompassing concept – not just focusing on adrenalin-driven activities but the region’s distinct heritage and the outdoors.
“We want to position North Wales as a year-round tourism destination raising awareness and promoting experiences and activities that take place throughout the whole year.”
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North Wales continues to out-perform all other parts of Wales in terms of growth with the number of people coming to the region rocketing to nearly 30 million.
Tourism already employs more than 42,000 and booming visitor numbers have given operators confidence to invest in major infrastructure projects, with the adventure sector leading from the front.
Sean Taylor, president and founder of Zip World, said the firm had invested between £14-£15m into the region during the past five years alone, creating more than 700 new jobs, and expects staff numbers to grow by an extra 50% in the next five years.
“We believe we are leading the way in the 海角视频 and Europe,” said Sean.
“It’s important that this work is driven by a destination-approach – it’s not just Zip World, it’s about great restaurants, cafes and accommodation. We need to all pull together to give a great experience encompassing all demographics.”
Justin Everley, commercial director for Adventure Parc Snowdonia, home to the world-first inland surf lagoon, said: “The transformation in the North Wales brand over the last decade has been nothing short of astonishing. It has gone from being a go-to destination for modest bucket and spade holidays for 海角视频 families to being what is now Europe’s most exciting destination for adventure.
“That level of transformation hasn’t come about by chance; it is the result of a concerted public-private partnership which has not only reinvented the brand and increased visitor numbers – it has ensured we have a robust and sustainable visitor economy which still has so much potential for growth.”
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They recently opened Adrenaline Indoors – an indoor adventure centre – and the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel will open this summer - amounting to a further £16m of investment - creating more than 100 new jobs and expanding Adventure Parc Snowdonia’s annual season from nine months to 12.
Phil Scott, who co-founded adventure Anglesey tour boat company RibRide, said: “We’re a relatively small player but our team has grown from four to eight full-time staff over the last five years while our seasonal employees and booking staff have increased threefold.
"We have invested in the past five years alone some £600,000 to £700,000. We already have the RibRides and we have a new adventure for next year called the FoilRide which is a surfboard on a hydroplane powered with an electric motor.
Juliana Delaney, chief executive of the Continuum Group, which owns Gwynedd’s GreenWood Family Park, said the firm had invested £750,000 into the business already, including developing and training existing staff. Continuum purchased Greenwood in 2017-18 and plans further investment in visitor experiences over the next five years.
“This campaign was very much led and initiated by us at Greenwood. We wanted to see a North West Tourism personality developing that we could take to our marketplace,” said Juliana.
Michael Bewick, managing director of the slate mine attraction Llechwedd, in Blaenau Ffestiniog, added: “It’s quite important that on this occasion we have made a financial contribution to support a bigger project. By coming together we are singing with a louder voice.
“I like to think adventure has a broader meaning. For some people travelling into the mind is just as adventurous as it is for someone going on a zip line. North Wales is full of different sorts of adventures.
“We also want to focus our efforts on the shoulder seasons of the spring and autumn. We know it can be incredibly busy in summer but from a business perspective and long-term sustainability perspective we need to be bringing people here all year round.
“It’s about growing the market and ensuring the market spreads across the year. That will bring benefits to all of the different tourism operators in North Wales and judging by how much the economy is sustained by tourism this is important stuff.”