tourism Wales survey results published


Wales’ natural environment and the friendliness of its people are among the most appealing features of visiting the country, according to the 2011 Wales Visitor Survey. Visit Wales carried out


the research between April and September last year and includes day and overnight visitors from the UK, as well as overseas residents travel- ling to the country. Te study provides satis-


faction ratings in a number of aspects, with the natural envi- ronment scoring 9.33 out of 10 among UK overnight visitors and 9.22 for over- seas visitors. Meanwhile, the friendliness of Welsh people scored 9.32 for overseas visitors and 9.17 for UK overnight visitors. Overall sat- isfaction was high across all three groups. • Welsh environment minister John Griffiths has said the newly-extended Clwydian Range


Wales’ natural environment is one of the country’s main selling points


Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Denbighshire and Wrexham will boost tour- ism in rural North Wales. In 2006, rural Denbighshire welcomed 1.58


million day visitors, while 365,000 overnight trips to the region were made. Total tourism revenue for the county is more than £91m.


£40k funding boost for Loch Lomond tourism group


VisitScotland has awarded £40,200 of funding to Love Loch Lomond, a tourism partnership that works to promote the Scottish landmark as a “year-round, must-visit” destination. Te national tourism agency has made the funding available through its Growth Fund and


it will be used for a number of marketing activ- ities, such as new seasonal micro-websites. A further £15,000 has been pledged by


Scottish Enterprise towards the £80,000 pro- gramme, with advertising campaigns and representation at travel events also planned.


DfT to mull Liverpool cruise terminal bid


Te government has said it is to seek independent advice on a “more appropriate” figure to be paid by Liverpool in its bid to secure permission for cruise liner operators to start and finish in the city. A Depa r tment for


Transport (DfT) consultation took place last year looking into Liverpool’s plans, which included the repayment of £5.3m from a government grant over a 15-year period. In a written statement,


however, the parliamentary under-secretary for state for transport, Mike Penning, said: “I find that there are persuasive arguments that this level of repayment would be insufficient to reflect the adverse impact on competition with other ports.”


© CYBERTREK 2012 Liverpool only has consent for liners using the city as a stopping point Southampton City Council is opposing


Liverpool’s bid for consent to start and end liner routes, with the Hampshire city catering for two-thirds of the UK’s cruise trade.


Twitter: @leisureopps


Scottish Thistle Awards to celebrate excellence in tourism


malcolm roughead is chief executive of VisitScotland


D


oes your tourism business pride itself on providing impeccable customer service; outstanding visitor experiences; or brilliant


creative campaigns? If the answer to that question is yes, it’s time for you to enter this year’s Scottish Tistle Awards. The Scottish Thistle Awards, which


are co-ordinated by VisitScotland, are designed to celebrate excellence and qual- ity within the tourism industry. Now in their 20th year, the awards have undergone a major transformation and, aſter exten- sive industry research, they have changed to incorporate four new regional events and a revamped final ceremony. Te four regional award areas will be the


Highlands and Islands; the North East; the South andCentral East; and the South and Central West, with the winners from each category moving forward to represent the region at the final awards ceremony. Te regional celebrations are scheduled to take place in May and the final Scottish Tistle Awards event takes place in November. In the Highlands and Islands region,


the Scottish Tistle Awards team is cur- rently working with the already successful Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards (HITA). Starting from last November, the responsibility for managing the regional Scottish Tistle Awards in the region has been the responsibility of HITA. Te awards are open to all businesses,


either based in Scotland or who have a Scottish product which has an association with Scottish tourism. Tere are 12 cate- gories to choose from and businesses can enter as many categories as are applicable to their individual achievements. New categories included in this year’s


Scottish Tistle Awards are: Best Hotel; Best Guest House or Bed and Breakfast; Best Self-Serve Accommodation; Best Café, Bar or Restaurant; Best Visitor Attraction; Best Cultural Event; Best Sporting Event; Best Shopping Experience; Best Nature Based Experience; Training and Skills Development Award; Tourism Entrepreneur Award; and Marketing Campaign of the Year Award. Details: http://lei.sr?a=R5Q1b


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 9


image: thierry maffeis/shutterstock.com


image: green lane


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