The Welsh Government has announced that its latest tourism marketing strategy is on the right tracks, but that it will reinvigorate its digital efforts.

With its new ‘Partnership for Growth’ campaign seeing  Wales named in the top five places to travel to by Rough Guide, there was also more good news from tourism minister Edwina Hart.

Updating Assembly Members on the progress of campaign, she said that Wales was increasingly popular internationally and that domestic visitor numbers had increased. This is contrary to what is going on across the UK as a whole.

She added:

“In this first year of the new strategy our focus has been on reassessing our marketing priorities to see where we can gain the maximum growth, and realigning our investment strategy to encourage development of new and exciting products and drive up the overall quality and range of our tourism offer.”

As successful as this has been, the ongoing campaign will be increasingly moved online, with Hart going on to state that future investment will concentrate on this. Levels of funding already in place will be maintained, while commercial tie-ups with firms in the industry will seek to improve Welsh tourism online.

The Welsh Government has also announced plans to appoint a head digital officer for the first time. As part of wider changes to the delivery of public services in the country, it is also a response to the findings of a recent commission.

An Assembly spokesperson told Government Computing:

“We are considering arrangements around digital and ICT transformation in line with our response to the Williams Commission review, which relates to greater consistency, common governance and other matters as well as digital and ICT transformation.”

By improving its ICT offerings, the review said that data could be shared and accessed more coherently, while services for citizens could be improved. In this way, expenses would be reduced and cost effectiveness increased.

Steven Morris