Cambria Politico has many times had a go at VisitWales for good reason.
Firstly, because they originally contracted out their websites and service provision to places on the planet as far away from Wales as possible. No Welsh business got a sniff or a look in. A classic case of ‘anywhere and anybody but Wales’ syndrome adopted by public sector quangos.
Secondly, because they spent in excess of £2 million on a crap website(s) and visitor management system that was so clunky it drove users and tourism businesses to distraction.
Thirdly, it called everybody a ‘tourism product’ – duh!!
Fourthly, it showed that the VisitWales so-called ‘tourism professionals’ had little or no understanding of the tourism marketplace or the reasons why people visit Wales. They have dreamed up some incredible fantasies about Wales that bear little or no relation to reality or the state of the tourism industry in Wales or its capability to deliver.
Fifthly, they have been too slow in their understanding of the web and its place in marketing. They appear to have been Old Media obsessed and incredible sums of money were spent on advertising campaigns aimed at the wrong people at the wrong times, in the wrong places and with the wrong content. They are a PR company’s and media buyer’s wet dream.
… we could go on and on.
Now we get news that they are planning to do some changes and now admit publicly that the past systems were crap… which we all knew anyway. We quote:
New system to replace ‘My Business’
We’ve worked hard over the last few months to improve our consumer websites. We’ve made some changes to the navigation and re-focussed the content. We’re pleased with what we’ve achieved so far but it’s now time to focus some much needed attention on the ‘back-end’ function of our websites.The system driving the database for the Visit Wales websites is no longer up to scratch. It’s simply not capable of delivering what we need for our websites to remain effective. Following a formal tendering process and in full consultation with the Wales Tourism Alliance, Guestlink Cymru have been awarded a contract to manage the Visit Wales tourism database. Guestlink Cymru is a consortium headed by New Vision Group and which includes North Wales Tourism and Mid Wales Tourism.
Guestlink Cymru?? A consortium headed by the New Vision Group?? Well, it will be interesting to see and monitor how much of this is Wales-related or how many Welsh service providers are involved. It really WILL NOT BE GOOD ENOUGH to claim that the tendering process didn’t throw up any Welsh companies or service providers capable of delivering the project. This is a political issue that goes to the very heart of the Welsh economy and how Wales is seen in the World.
There have been some good things, of course, and the staff are ‘well intentioned’ on the whole. However, the Welsh economy is critically dependent on tourism now more than ever – so it is vital that it is ‘got right’.
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Glad you raised this. Do we know who this New Vision Group is? Not another bunch of aliens, I hope. I think tourism promotion here is sh*t anyway. Two examples.
Anybody seen the “tourist information point” in Cardiff Airport arrivals shed? Recently ‘upgraded’, it’s an unstaffed hotch-potch from the 60s, tucked in a corner, with piles of low-standard literature hanging around, including unopened boxes in view. Have they not heard of high-impact video screens and iconic figures to grab people’s attention? They have about 5 seconds to make an impact on new arrivals, and fail utterly.
Looks like Dylan Thomas never existed in Talacharn. Not on any road sign. No bloody statue (I don’t mean the lifeless municipal bronze stuff currently plaguing the country). How do you find his grave? The ‘heron-crested shore’ is ignored. The Boathouse is a pathetic shipwreck. Ruined by the ‘municipalism’ that Ryan parodied. Little atmosphere. They won’t allow people on the balcony. (If you are stupid enough to fall off, you shouldn’t be there). The tarmac footpath walk could be in some inner city. Brown’s Hotel has been vandalised inside. There are some good, new dynamic traders in the town who recognise the nation they’re in but some awful ‘seaside resort’ holdovers too. Any other country would have made this a premier tourist trap and heritage trail for its own citizens.
It’s about time somebody got a grip. As you say, we have huge potential, both economic and cultural but all this is being squandered.