THE TWO DRAGONS - HOW TOURISM IN WALES CAN MAKE THE MOST OF CHINA

With the sun coming out more often than in recent summers, the tourism industry in North Wales must be feeling more optimistic than in previous years. 

However, is it doing enough to attract the new growth sectors in tourism globally? 

For example, a recent report from the UN World Tourism Organisation showed that visitors from China have become the biggest global source of tourism income in 2012, spending £67 billion whilst travelling abroad. This is 40 per cent higher than in 2011 and well ahead of both the Germans and Americans. With a growing middle class, a strong exchange rate and the lifting of travel restrictions, this trend is set to continue. 

However, it would seem that the UK tourism sector may miss out on this bonanza. According to the Tourism Alliance, the number of Chinese visitors was only 179,000 in 2012, an increase of only 20 per cent and well short of the target of 201,000. This means that the aim of attracting half a million Chinese visitors to the UK by 2015 is likely to fall short by around 200,000. Indeed, if we compare the UK performance to that of other European nations, this is a worrying trend. 

For example, France now receives almost eight times more visitors from China than the UK. Tourism specialists have suggested that the high costs of Air Passenger Duty and visas have been factors in disincentiving overseas tourists from coming to the UK. Indeed, in order to gain competitive advantage, the Spanish Government is now considering facilitating visa formalities for Chinese visitors to attract more in the future. 

Yet, the question is whether we are doing as much as other countries to attract this growing market to our shores? 

For example, the Australian tourism authority has established a network of dedicated travel agents in thirteen of China’s major cities, all of whom have had specialist training to sell Australia to potential Chinese tourists. There are also greater efforts being made within Australia to increase Chinese language and cultural awareness with tourism providers across the country.  
In the USA, organisations such as Attract China help to market and promote destinations by helping tourist businesses to build an online presence that understands and embraces the Chinese lifestyle. However, Wales could be in a prime position to take advantage of this visitor boom from China for a number of reasons. 

First of all, the Chinese have a very high appreciation of British culture and history, all of which are in abundance in Wales if marketed properly. In addition, outdoor pursuits such as hiking, camping and walking are favoured by many Chinese tourists, which should make North Wales a major attraction if marketed properly. The Chinese are also keen on shopping and bring home a lot of high quality souvenirs for relatives and friends when they travel abroad, thus adding value to all visits that they make. And for a Welsh tourism industry that is dependent on a period from April to September for its main income generation period, the peculiarities of the Chinese holiday regulations means that the two periods that are most favoured for travel are October and February. 

In addition, they normally take a fortnight off for travel as compared to the one week favoured by American tourists. Given this, you can just imagine what a boost this could give to the Welsh tourism industry at a time of the year when our hotels and B&Bs are largely empty. 

Therefore, the boom in Chinese visitors globally is something that Wales cannot ignore and it should not be beyond the imagination of those marketing our nation as a destination to link the dragons of China and Wales and thus bring a real bonanza to our tourism industry at a time when it needs it the most.

THE FUTURE OF TOURISM IN WALES

Given the importance of tourism to Wales, it was fascinating to read the Welsh Government’s 2013-2020 strategy for the industry.

Of particular interest was their take on what actually differentiates Wales from the rest of the World and identifying the ‘magic sauce” that ensures tourism makes a growing contribution to the economy.

Not surprisingly, the natural environment is seen as a central reason as to why visitors choose to take their holidays in Wales.

Certainly, developments such as the opening of the 870-mile long coastal path will help to maintain this key advantage as will the growing importance of activity holidays, including cycling, horse riding, adventure sports, fishing and golf, which make full use of our coast and countryside.

Allied to the natural beauty of our nation is its heritage and culture which makes us a distinct destination. This ranges from castles, both Welsh and Norman, to industrial attractions, such as Llechwedd Slate Caverns and the Big Pit, which catalogues the nation’s more recent history.

There has also been a recent interest in so-called religious tourism, with American visitors being seen as a potential target for this growing segment of the market. To capitalise on this, a North Wales Pilgrim’s Way, which starts in Flintshire and continues across the coast to the Bardsey Island, was opened in 2011.

Events and festivals, such as Wakestock, the Hay Festival and the Kaya Festival, are also seen as being important in attracting a different, and younger, type of visitor to Wales. And whilst the sporting facilities we have in our cities are attracting big events such as the Rugby World Cup, Ryder Cup and the Ashes, one mustn’t forget the success of more specialist venues such as Pwllheli in hosting four World championships and thirty-two UK National championships in the last seven years.

These are all positive trends for tourism over the next few years that could make a real difference to many local economies across Wales. Yet there remain a number of other challenges which the industry faces and which need addressing quickly.

Leisure and tourism is one of the industries that has been hit hard by the reluctance of banks to lend to smaller firms in recent years and this lack of capital is preventing the industry from carrying out important improvements. Indeed, given that a key strategy of the Tourism Sector Panel is the improvement of better quality visitor facilities, particularly accommodation, this cannot be achieved without the right financial support, whether it comes from the banks or the Welsh Government.

The Wales Tourism Alliance has also pointed out the importance of upgrading skills within the industry and yet there is a lack of focus to achieve this. Given this, perhaps the time has come for a National Tourism College which would be industry led, be focused on excellence and would provide the upskilling critical to make Wales the best holiday destination in the UK.

Finally, the industry needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century to make sure it makes the most of the social media now used by potential visitors to not only book their holidays but, via sites such as TripAdvisor, to recommend them to their friends and peers.  In particular, greater use of mobile social media, via smartphones, could add real value to the tourism experience in Wales.

Clearly, Wales needs to make the most of its natural assets to grow the tourism industry over the next few years but to succeed the Welsh Government and other bodies must ensure that tourism businesses have the funding, skills and social media awareness to take full advantage of these opportunities.

THOUGHTS FROM A CAMPER VAN

Last week, I spent four days camping with my family on a site just outside Barmouth which, to put it mildly, was a complete change from last year’s holiday on an Indonesian tropical island.

Apart from the fact that I haven’t been camping since my days with the Pwllheli Sea Scouts over thirty years ago, I have previously failed to see any attraction in these outdoor vacations, preferring the comfort of a hotel room to the frontier excitement of a caravan site.

Yet, despite my trepidations about the whole trip, I have to admit that I had a brilliant time, despite the changing weather we had.

And while the road to Barmouth may not have been as life changing as the road travelled by Saul to Damascus, I can admit that I am now a convert to this type of holidaying.

Part of the attraction was the fact that we had hired a classic 1967 VW Camper Van from a Mold-based company, Split the Difference.

Yes, it was a tight squeeze for two adults and two children but it made the whole holiday more worthwhile travelling around in a van that got more admiring glances than an international supermodel.

More importantly, thanks to the tight space and the absence of any internet for the kids, we actually got to spend some quality time together, which, with increasingly busy lives, is difficult to do.

But what really amazed me, when I actually had the time to look around me, was how stunningly beautiful Wales is, even in the driving rain.

Our campsite, on the side of a hill in Arthog, overlooked the magnificent Mawddach estuary and had a view that was as good as any you will find in the world, especially as the sun set over the Llyn Peninsula.

But it was not only the glorious landscape that was fantastic. The welcome we received at the farm we stayed at, as well as when travelling across South Gwynedd, was second to none and made the holiday a bit more special.

With such natural advantages, how is the tourism industry doing overall in Wales?

The latest statistics show that it remains a critical industry, generating an annual spend of £1.7billion in 2011 from 9.7 million overnight trips. North Wales continues to attract the largest share of overnight UK tourists on a holiday.

This represented an increase of 12 per cent on 2010, demonstrating that more people are holidaying at home rather than going abroad during the economic downturn.

In fact, Welsh tourism accounts for 7.5% of all British trips, well above what would be expected of us.

But could we be doing better?

For example, there remain questions over whether Wales has really taken advantage of the Olympics as an opportunity to publicise the country not only as a location for tourists but also as a place for businesses to relocate.

Certainly, whilst the Scots have moved staff into a temporary venue set up on London's Pall Mall to showcase Scottish industries and promote investment, little seems to have been done by the Welsh Government to promote Wales in a similar vein.

But all is not lost. The tourism body VisitBritain has indicated that, during the next four years, an extra 4.4 million overseas visitors will come to the UK, spending an extra £2.3bn in the process.

The challenge for Wales will be to ensure that a significant proportion of these come over the border and experience the best of Welsh hospitality.Certainly, if they enjoy their holiday in Wales half as much as I did, then the tourism industry has a very bright future