THE Wye Valley’s first tourism conference was held in Chepstow yesterday, with industry leaders emphasising the importance of a cross-border partnership.
Wye Dean Tourism 2015 was held at Chepstow Racecourse and attended by the chief executive of Visit Wales, Manon Antoniazzi, and the chairwoman of VisitEngland, Lady Cobham.
Conference organisers said tourism brings in more than £150m to Monmouthshire’s economy every year.
An English-Welsh Tourism Partnership was also unveiled at the event: one of the UK’s first cross-border tourism bodies.
The association has committed itself to more training and a campaign for better Wi-FI and mobile phone coverage.
The chairwoman of the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association (WVFDTA), Caroline Anderson, who also spoke at the event, said at least another £150m is generated by tourism on the English side of the border.
She said: “We are a collective of 300 tourism entrepreneurs committed to raise the area’s profile and deliver a memorable visitor experience. We are honoured that two high-profile industry leaders shared insight to help boost the bottom line for our members.”
Dr Antoniazzi, said: “Last year was excellent for tourism in Wales. There aren’t many countries who can claim to have hosted President Obama, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Watson in the same 12 month period. For the first six months of 2014, international visits increased by 21 per cent and growth in our market share of domestic visitors.
“A planned approach to destination management in Wales, such as the Wye Dean partnership, allows local tourism communities to decide what is most important to put in place to maximise visitor satisfaction and to stimulate local support for tourism.”
The WVFDTA was established in 2006 and is managed by a voluntary board, supported by professional advisers, the Forestry Commission and grant funding for other projects. Anyone interested in joining can visit wyedeantourism.co.uk or email info@wyedeantourism.co.uk
l HOTELIERS across South Wales saw big benefits from the Nato summit, with room occupancy rates up nine per cent in September 2014 compared to the previous year,
The results of the Wales Occupancy Survey published this week show occupancy rates six per cent higher on average across the whole of Wales.
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