Tourism: Wales failing to attract overseas visitors - MPs
- Published
"Poor transport infrastructure" was cited as a reason preventing Wales from attracting more people visiting the UK.
Wales' hopes of becoming a global tourist attraction are hampered by confused marketing, a lack of holiday packages and poor transport connections, MPs have warned.
The Welsh affairs committee is concerned Wales attracts "such a small proportion" of visitors to the UK.
Of 41 million international holidaymakers to the UK in 2019, just over one million visited Wales.
Visit Wales said it would work with VisitBritain on how Wales is marketed.
A report by MPs on the committee highlighted the country's "relatively low profile overseas" and said "Wales lacks a coherent brand for the overseas market".
The report said £28bn was spent in the UK by international tourists in 2019, but only £515m - 2% - of that was spent in Wales.
It also added that it was important the "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."
Tourism is estimated to be worth £3bn to the Welsh economy.
Committee chairman Stephen Crabb said there were "missed opportunities" for businesses that would thrive on increased visitors and a "more concerted push" is needed to promote Wales abroad.
Huw Tudur, owner of Mair's B&B in Bridgend, told BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast that "nothing has changed" and Visit Wales' branding "sends a shiver down my spine".
He said: "We don't need to change in order to bring people in, because we have the assets. We have just got to go up there and tell them.
"I've had no contact with Visit Wales, or what Visit Wales used to be, for 13 years. No marketing material, documents, maps, pamphlets have been sent through the post."
The MPs said there is a lack of awareness of Wales' strengths as a holiday destination
Mr Tudur said the branding was "old-fashioned: Sheep, rugby and things that don't represent modern Wales" and that it made their work harder.
MPs recommended Visit Wales work with VisitBritain on how Wales is marketed in international campaigns by February 2024.
The report said: "Marketing of Wales must be stronger, with a clear theme devised to attract international tourists based on Wales' unique strengths and attractions."
Tour operators should be encouraged to include Wales in UK holiday packages, they added.
"Wales can be reached from London within a few hours. However, it is often not included in UK holiday packages offered by tour operators."
The MPs also expressed concerns that "poor transport infrastructure" was having a "negative impact" on Wales' ability to attract more of the tourists coming to the UK.
Wales "is often not included in UK holiday packages offered by tour operators", said MPs
"Transport infrastructure has been underfunded by the UK and Welsh governments for a number of years," they said.
The report called on governments in Cardiff and Westminster to "look creatively at ways to better fund transport infrastructure projects", including a proposed new direct rail link connecting Wales with Heathrow Airport.
"This would hugely improve connectivity between Wales and Heathrow and make it much easier for international tourists to come to Wales," MPs said.
MPs said better infrastructure is needed to improve the tourist trade in Wales
The report also urged the Welsh government to re-examine its proposals for a visitor levy, warning it "may have a negative impact on the attractiveness of Wales to international tourists".
After the report was published, Mr Crabb said: "UK organisations that should be responsible for promoting visits to Wales, such as VisitBritain, routinely overlook it in their own marketing materials.
"Tour operators fail to consistently offer Wales as a holiday destination. The transport infrastructure puts international tourists off coming to Wales, and the poor road network would make travelling to some special locations challenging.
"Is it any wonder Wales isn't the global tourist destination it can be?"
Stephen Crabb said Wales was overlooked in international marketing campaigns
Jim Jones from North Wales Tourism said the key to marketing Wales was to build connections with communities abroad.
He highlighted a Japanese tourism guide selecting Conwy as one of the most beautiful towns and villages in Europe in 2015, and said Wrexham AFC's celebrity owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, had helped "put Wales on the map".
"Wrexham is now the gateway city into the rest of north Wales," said Mr Jones.
He said tourist websites also need to be made multilingual to make them more accessible.
Huw Tudur says the branding is old fashioned and doesn't represent modern Wales
"We rely on each other, working together... and marketing through websites like booking.com.
"To be honest, the branding sends shivers down my spine. We need to redevelop the whole thing, sell our nation and get more support. We need something internal, solid, youthful for each part of Wales to improve branding and how Wales looks to others."
Suzy Davies, chairwoman of Wales Tourism Alliance, added: "I would like to see us targeting more foreign visitors as its been targeted to promote people from within Britain more recently but as Visit Wales is part of the (Welsh) government there is limits in the amount of money that can be spent on internal and foreign marketing and I know that the report mentions this.
"The tourism economy hasn't been a priority for the Welsh government recently and I hope this changes.
"It's clear that foreign visitors across the world is crucial and I hope to see better focus on this - which is going to be hard under the current structure and transport infrastructure we have."
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' ownership of Wrexham AFC has helped shine an international spotlight on the area
A Visit Wales spokesperson said: "We are pleased to see the report highlight the positive work of Visit Wales in relation to our own marketing, engagement with the tourism industry in Wales, and co-working in the USA. "
"We look forward to continuing to work with VisitBritain on how Wales is marketed within VisitBritain's international campaigns, to tour operators, and in sharing of data with industry - which are crucial components of success in this highly competitive industry."
VisitBritain chief executive Patricia Yates said the company has "generated an additional £34 million in overseas visitor spending for Wales in 2019-20 alone".
"We're working with international travel trade to ensure Wales is sold internationally, this year inviting Welsh businesses on trade missions to China, India and the USA."
She said the company is "bringing international tour operators and media on visits to Wales to boost product and destination knowledge".
She added that hey will study the findings of the report closely.
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