Visit Wales has joined forces with VisitBritain and BBC StoryWorks in a bid to inspire travellers from North America to visit and explore the countries and regions of Britain.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
TV presenter Gethin Jones is flying the flag for Wales as he talks about how Wales has inspired him during a short film (external link) set in Caernarfon.
The 4 two-minute documentary-style films, created by BBC StoryWorks, BBC Advertising’s commercial content production arm, challenge the perceptions of traditional Britain, offering a modern take on the stunning landscapes, fashion, culture and history, and will air on BBC's commercial, international news channel, BBC World News, to an American audience between October 2017 to March 2018.
Focusing on London, Manchester, Scotland and Wales, the films each feature a well-known local personality; in addition to Gethin Jones, the films feature science and technology reporter Dr Shini Somara, illustrator Stanley Chow and fashion designer, Siobhan Mackenzie. The ‘local heroes’ talk about how their British roots have inspired them, with the films highlighting and showcasing some of the experiences to be found in each region.
Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Infrastructure, Ken Skates, said:
“I’m delighted that Visit Wales has worked with VisitBritain in a bid to attract more north Americans to Wales – North America is one of our key markets and we’re looking at increasing the number of visitors and Wales’ market share of visitors from this key market. It’s great news that Gethin has come on board as our local hero to show a different side of Wales, set against the stunning backdrop of Snowdonia.
Gethin Jones, said:
“It was a pleasure to be involved in this campaign - I take every opportunity to fly the flag for Wales and to wax lyrical about what Wales has to offer and there are so many areas and places which are close to my heart. When I heard we’d be filming in Caernarfon I was over the moon, I think I went over-board with suggestions.”
The partnership is funded jointly by the UK government’s global GREAT campaign, , and the tourist boards, London & Partners, Marketing Manchester, VisitScotland and Visit Wales to showcase what Britain has to offer as a place to visit, study and do business.
International visitor volumes to Wales increased during the period January – June 2017 with 493,000 overnight trips, an increase of +9% compared to the same period in 2016 and the highest level recorded since 2008. There were 38,500 trips to Wales from the US during January to June 2017, an increase of +11%.
Tourism is worth £127bn to the UK economy, creating jobs and boosting economic growth across its nations and regions.