2018Year of the Sea in latestWelsh tourist drive
THE next 12 months have been branded the “Year of the Sea” in the latest attempt to persuade tourists from around the world to visit Wales.
This will be the third time that Wales’ tourism efforts have been based around a theme, designed to help the country compete for visitors.
It follows the Year of Adventure 2016 and 2017’s Year of Legends.
Wales will be marketed as a nation with an 870-mile coastal path, 230 beaches and 50 islands to explore.
Sailor Hannah Mills, from Cardiff, who won a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics, has been named as an ambassador for the Year of the Sea.
She said: “Growing up in Cardiff and exploring the coasts and seas around Wales, from Anglesey to Mumbles, the Welsh coastline has had a huge impact on shaping my earlier career. Those memories and beautiful experiences sailing in such a stunning place remain very firmly in my mind.
“My family are still based in Cardiff, and for me it will always be home. When I won gold in Rio, the warmth and support I got from back home was phenomenal.”
A highlight of 2018 will be the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet in Cardiff in May and June, as part of its visits to 12 cities on six continents. The Race Village will be on the Cardiff Bay Barrage.
It will be the first time in more than a decade that the race, described as the “longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world”, has come to the UK.
This comes alongside the opening of the £3.9m Colwyn Bay waterfront project. Work on the £5.5m Porthcawl Maritime Centre is under way, and Caernarfon’s waterfront is also a focus for regeneration efforts.
The Welsh Government says investment in themed years has paid off, stating: “The first of Wales’ themed years in 2016 generated an additional £370m for the Welsh economy – an 18% increase on 2015... During 2017 – the Year of Legends – figures from the Tourism Barometer survey are looking positive, with 42% of respondents reporting more visitors than last year.
“There were also recordbreaking visitor numbers to Cadw and National Museum Wales sites over the summer.”
Tourism Minister Lord Elis-Thomas will launch the “celebration of our epic shores” . He said: “Following a focus on adventure and legends, we now have an opportunity to celebrate Wales’ coastline. As we launch this initiative it’s fantastic news that the Rough Guides have named Wales as one of the top five places in the world to visit
“[We] have more Blue Flag beaches per mile than anywhere else in Britain.”
The former Plaid Cymru leader, who now sits in the Assembly as the independent AM for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, added that the tourism push will be “about more than our coastline”.
He said: “We’ll be using the year as an opportunity to focus on Wales’ shores, and this will include not only our seas, but everything from our lakes, our rivers, journeys to the sea and a celebration of our coastal communities and culture. We’ll be using the Wales Way, an ambitious new family of three national scenic touring routes that cross the country’s most epic landscapes, as a way of showcasing Wales’ fascinating history, coastlines and attractions.” More than £2m in support has been shared among 38 projects.
Tourism expert John Wake welcomed the Year of the Sea.
He said: “I do actually like that one... I think that’s a great idea, highlighting what Wales has to offer...
“All the caravan parks all round the coast overlook the sea. I imagine caravan park owners [saying], ‘It’s the Year of the Sea, come and visit. Great stuff.”
Applauding the breadth of the theme, he said the Year of Legends had been “more polarised”.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2016 there were 472,000 holiday visits to Wales, alongside 353,000 visits to friends and family and 188,000 business visits.
The Welsh Government’s Tourism Investment Support Scheme has sought to boost the quality of accommodation and food available in coastal areas.
Establishments that have received support include Dylan’s in North Wales; Bryn Williams in Colwyn Bay; Coast in Saundersfoot; The Griffin Inn in Dale; and Twr y Felin St Davids.