GOLDEN TICKET
WALES’ status as a must-go destination for 2017 has been given a boost after making a top 10 of places to visit this year in a major US newspaper.
The listing comes after guide book Lonely Planet named North Wales as the fourth best location in its annual review of holiday hotspots.
As the country prepares for the Year of Legends, part of a three year strategy to stimulate tourism, the news will be welcomed by industry chiefs.
Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, travel author Jill Robinson says that Wales often finds itself an afterthought to travellers interested in visiting the UK.
But she says with a weaker pound meaning Americans get a better rate for their dollar, the country is well worth taking a second look.
Under the headline “More coast, less cost”, she writes: “Wales often moves up on travelers’ (sic) lists after more popular destinations in the United Kingdom get crossed off, but its castles, beaches, wilderness and people deserve a lot more attention. It’s a great time to go now.”
Describing a “signature experience” she writes: “An extensive network of paths makes Wales a hiker’s paradise.” And she recommends that for a local flavour visitors should consider a wild mushroom foraging course.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “The Year of Legends provides a plat- form for us to tell our story and promote our heritage and culture to the world, and is the perfect opportunity for us to find new and innovative ways of telling that story. 2017 certainly isn’t about looking backwards, the Year of Legends is about bringing the past to life like never before, with cuttingedge innovation.
“It’s about creating and celebrating new Welsh legends, modern-day personalities, products and events that are made in Wales, or enriched by coming here.
“This is an opportunity for communities across Wales to pull together and help us tell the story of Wales.”
He added: “The long-term vision is to take pride, and to strengthen and enhance the very fabric of the culture and communities we serve to promote in the first place, providing a firm basis for future legends to emerge.”
Tourism in Wales is worth an estimated £1.7 billion a year to the local economy, a figure that Visit Wales is hoping to increase.
Among San Francisco Chronicle’s other recommendations for the year are South Korea, Oman, Rwanda, Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique, Chiloé in Chile, Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan, the Puna District in Hawaii, Uluru in Australia and Manchester.