“Cardiff is less than two hours by train from London and has direct access to more than 50 European destinations through Cardiff airport”
ranges, with many properties also offering meeting space. Hotel Indigo opened last year in central Cardiff, adding 122 rooms and a rooftop restaurant by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White. The South Wales region’s attractions as
a MICE destination are set to be further enhanced when a new £83 million confer- ence centre, ICC Wales, opens at the Celtic Manor resort near Newport, in summer 2019. This custom-built venue will have 26,000 sqm of floorspace and the ability to cater for up to 5,000 delegates. “Wales’ epic landscapes, paired with
unique activities, provides a versatile of- fering to suit events of all sizes, whether it’s larger international events and con- ferences, smaller executive meetings or incentives and team-building in a superb natural environment,” enthuses Holt.
of the area’s regeneration and neighbour to another Cardiff landmark, the 19th century Pierhead Building, now hosting conferences and exhibitions as well. Rob Holt, director of tourism devel- opment and major events for the Welsh government, says: “Cardiff is less than two hours by train from London and has direct access to more than 50 European destinations through Cardiff airport. “The city is one of the most competitive
locations in the UK for skilled service sector businesses, and boasts a strong proposition in life sciences as host of Bio Wales, one of the largest life sciences conferences in the UK. The region is also important for tech- nology, leading the way in cyber security with the University of South Wales, the only UK university with GCHQ accredi- tation for computer forensics.” On the hotel front, there are almost 5,500 rooms in Cardiff across a variety of price
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
AIR ACCESS The success of Cardiff airport should also boost both the city and wider region’s pop- ularity with both business travellers and MICE organisers – passenger numbers rose by 9 per cent in 2017 taking total traffic up to nearly 1.5 million thanks to new routes to Madrid (Iberia Express), Guernsey (Blue Islands) and Rome (Flybe). In another coup for the airport, Qatar Airways will become the first Gulf-based carrier to offer a service from Wales when it launches flights between Cardiff and Doha from 1 May – initially operating five times per week before going daily from 18 June. This service alone is forecast to boost the airport’s passenger numbers by 100,000 per year. The Welsh government-owned airport,
which has increased passenger traffic by 50 per cent since 2013, has also announced a £4 million investment to improve the terminal, including an expansion of its executive lounge, new shops and enhanced parking facilities. Longer term, the air- port’s aspirations are to double passenger numbers to three million by 2025 and even- tually open a new £100 million terminal. With so much in its favour, Cardiff looks
set to grow as a MICE destination. The Welsh capital is on to a winner and not just on the rugby pitch.
Top incentives in and around Cardiff
• Private singing session with the Welsh National Opera at
the Wales Millennium Centre.
• Combine whisky-making at Penderyn Distillery with
team-building activities in the Brecon Beacons.
• Go white-water rafting at Cardiff International White
Water Centre.
• Visit the Principality Stadium and then head to Cardiff
Castle (above) to engage in some team activities.
• Head to the Vale Resort for 4x4 driving, quad biking,
archery, clay shooting, golf and spa facilities.
• View original sketches and drawings from
artists, including Picasso, Rembrandt and Turner, which are not on public display, during a private visit to the National Museum Cardiff.
BBT March/April 2018 111
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
