The conference, held
at Theatr Brycheiniog, was themed around the concept of ‘How should we present
ourselves to the market?’ It brought together numerous representatives from the
COLLABOR8 cluster groups, local B&Bs, pubs, hotels, Welsh Local
Authorities, regional development agencies, voluntary and Tourist Information
Centres to hear how best to promote themselves in a protected area. The
conference was funded by and part of the COLLABOR8 Interreg IVB NWE project.
Among the keynote
speakers on the day was Kate Shepherd from Our Land, a firm dedicated to
promoting tourism possibilities in protected landscapes in the South East of
England. Those in attendance also
heard from Richard Hammond from Green Traveller – a business dedicated to
creating green partnerships with destinations by promoting a responsible,
ethical, sustainable and greener approach to visitor experiences.
The audience were
then able to quiz the keynote speakers on their respective successes, and ask
how elements of their work in the tourism industry could be applied to further
benefitf tourism in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
The conference also
heard about the first stage of the ‘Explore, Dream, Discover’ brand being
developed by Peter Gill & Associates, which is hoped will contribute ideas
towards the emerging destination website.
Those in attendance
at today’s event also participated in workshops which helped identify the
region’s key selling points, as well as discussing ideas which would help the
National Park become even more accessible to visitors.
Richard Tyler,
Sustainable Tourism Manager for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, said:
“Today’s conference was invaluable in bringing our partners together, including
Bannau Brycheiniog Tourism and our other tourism businesses and providers, to
discuss ways to promote a sustainable tourism model in the National Park and
how we should best represent ourselves in the market.
“The event gave us
chance to listen to the ideas delivered by our key note speakers and the
success they’ve had in promoting them, and hold workshops to generate further
ideas about how we can best promote this beautiful area.
“The initial brand
idea with which we wish to push the future tourism strategy – ‘Explore, Dream,
Discover’ – seemed popular with everyone in attendance, and I am sure that
today’s event will continue to help raise the profile of the National Park as a
viable tourist destination – not only here but across the world.”
Punch Maughan,
Director for Bannau Brycheiniog Tourism, added: “Today’s conference was very
exciting as the last couple of years have been about embracing our destination
status. Today we heard from the people who are helping us with our brand and
delivering the new website that will be our route to market.
“Hearing from
colleagues at Our Land and Green Traveller was particularly timely to focus on thinking
about making sure our messages around sustainability and green are on brand.”
-ENDS-