Aim to make north Wales tourist capital of Europe
Velocity 2 adventure earlier this year following a £2.5m investment to develop the experience.
“We have several other major developments in the pipeline for the area that would all further enhance the adventure tourism offering for the region and provide even more jobs.
“It is important to us as a company to ensure visitors to Zip World experience all that north Wales has to offer and therefore stay longer, increasing the economic benefit to the region. Zip World has already brought well over £131m to the local economy and we are always looking for ways to increase that.
“One initiative has been the recently launched Zip World Adventure Highway concept – theadventurehighway.co.uk – a tool to help visitors to the area explore more of north Wales’s beauty, history and adventures between the three Zip World sites.”
Andy Ainscough, managing director of Surf Snowdonia, said: “North Wales is the ideal destination for adventurers of all ages – that’s been true for generations of visitors who love it for its coast, rivers, mountains and forests. By redeveloping defunct former industrial sites, the adventure sector has been able to create an offer which is inspired by the natural environment but doesn’t overwhelm or spoil it. It has allowed us to reinvigorate communities and bring in new money and jobs without spoiling the ‘wild’ factor of the landscapes around us.
“An expanded accommodation and adventure offer has always been part of our strategy, but we wanted to wait until the time was right and we felt we had given the business the necessary time to bed in. Now in our fourth year of operation, we know from visitor feedback that there is substantial demand for what we’re doing. North Wales is packed full of potential and still very much on an upward trajectory.”
The latest specific outdoor tourism figures date back to 2014 but even then they show the positive contribution the sector makes. At that point it was estimated to make up 10% of the Welsh tourism market, supporting more than 8,000 jobs. It is expected that figure will have increased considerably since then.
Jim Jones, managing director of North Wales Tourism, said: “We are entering a golden era for tourism in north Wales and our reputation as a world-class tourism hot-spot has never been better. The boom is being driven by the exciting developments in the adventure tourism sector, which are raising the profile of north Wales as a must-visit destination.
“A growing host of fantastic developments like Zip World, Surf Snowdonia, Go Below, Plas Curig and Greenwood are putting us well and truly on the global map.”
The adventure sector has given Christian Wynne the chance to return home to north Wales after working in finance in London for eight years. Christian and fashion designer wife Anne bought the five-star Plas Curig hostel in Capel Curig this spring.
He said: “Over the eight years I lived in London, I noticed a change in the perception of north Wales. More and more people were aware of it as a destination thanks to people like Zip World and Surf Snowdonia and the coverage of the area.
“The adventure sector has given me the opportunity to come home to north Wales and I feel the region is on the cusp of something special.
“Something that was always important to me about coming back was to showcase all the talent and amazing businesses we have in this area. That is why we are working with or talking to people like Zip World, Surf Snowdonia, Snowdonia Distillery, Wild Horse Brewery and Heartland Coffee.
“As well as the big names, there are also lots of individuals that are specialists in their sector and setting up small adventure businesses, which is great for the area.”
Sam Farnsworth runs Gaia Adventures, which organises cliff camping, climbing courses and wild weekends in north Wales.
He said: “Demand keeps going up and we recently had a spike in interest in the cliff camping when we were featured in a couple of national newspapers. There is a lot of attention on the area at the moment and people certainly know about north Wales now.
“Cliff camping keeps getting busier – we have people from all over the UK as well as Dutch and Germans doing this. We have also launched ‘wild weekends’ to meet demand for people wanting to come here to try diferent adventures.
“There is a lot of competition in this sector in north Wales so it can be hard to stand out, but the good thing is that there are a lot of people that want to come to north Wales. It is all positive.”