Appendix 8 - Links to existing Strategies and Initiatives
Partnership for Growth: The Welsh Government Strategy for Tourism 2013 - 2020
The strategy will set the vision for the industry and Welsh Government to work in partnership to increase visitor spend to Wales. It will mean focussing upon five key areas:
· Promoting the Brand
· Product Development
· People Development
· Profitable Performance
· Place Building
The strategy identifies a product led approach to developing and marketing tourism in Wales, which means working with iconic, high quality, reputation-changing products and events.
There will be a focus on more luxury and branded hotels; more well-being facilities such as spas; more heritage hotels that utilise historic and distinctive buildings; more all year round attractions, activities and cultural experiences; more innovative, unusual and distinctive products.
Delivering a Golden Legacy: A growth strategy for inbound tourism to Britain from 2012 to 2020 – VisitBritain
The new Britain Strategy launched by VisitBritain aims to capitalise and build upon the success of the Olympics in order to increase inbound tourism to 40 million visitors by 2020 (from 31m in 2012). Achieving this will generate an additional £8.7bn in tourism revenue and create some 200,000 additional jobs through the UK.
While the Strategy concentrates on targeting activity on the UK’s top 20 inbound tourism source markets, it is envisaged that the majority of tourism growth will come from just 10 markets – the USA, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Australia, Canada , China, Poland, Russia, Brazil and the UAE.
The four key strands of the strategy to drive growth from these markets are to:
1. Improve the image of the UK in these markets
2. Work with the travel trade in these markets
3. Improve the range of product on offer available in the UK
4. Make it easier for people from these markets to get here through addressing issues such as visas and aviation capacity.
While VisitBritain is the lead agency, it is emphasised that the strategy will only be successful if it is owned and implemented in partnership with the Government and the industry.
People, Places, Futures: The Wales Spatial Plan 2008 Update (Welsh Government)
The document updates the original Wales Spatial Plan which was adopted in 2004. Local Planning Authorities must have regard to the Wales Spatial Plan when preparing their LDP’s, though it does not form part of the statutory development plan. It does however, set the context for the LDP.
The Wales Spatial Plan sets out the Welsh Government’s vision for Wales for a twenty year period (from 2004). There are six priorities highlighted for the Swansea Bay - Waterfront and Western Valleys region, including a specific tourism priority:
· Developing a strong leisure and activity based tourism industry.
There are a number of other tourism related priorities identified within different topic areas for the region:
Economic Development
· Maximising the coastal route for tourism growth creating a Swansea Bay Coastal Path
· Developing centres of excellence for sport, recreation and activity holidays
· Strengthening conservation and interpretation of culture and heritage in its own right while also providing a leisure and tourism resource.
Valuing our Environment
· Maximising the tourism and recreation opportunities provided by our high quality environment without causing it damage
· Facilitating and supporting the forestry and agriculture sector to continue to become more sustainable, protecting valuable habitats, developing greater synergy with tourism and leisure, and developing local products that add to the Area’s appeal.
The Welsh Coastal Tourism Strategy (Welsh Government, 2008)
The document’s preparation was identified as a key national action in the Wales Spatial Plan. The Strategy identifies a clear way forward for the development of Coastal Tourism which realises and builds on its economic potential whilst respecting its environmental quality and recognising the importance of achieving community benefits.
The strategy aims to achieve an integrated approach to the development and management of coastal tourism, recognising that it is a year round industry.
The aims of the strategy are:
• to ensure that sustainable tourism is making an increasing contribution to the local economy of coastal communities
• to improve the quality of the visitor experience
• to achieve an integrated approach to the development and management of coastal tourism
• to safeguard and protect the environment and cultural heritage as a key resource for coastal tourism Government Strategy f
Planning Policy Wales 5th edition, 2012
PPW states that ‘tourism is vital to economic prosperity and job creation in many parts of Wales. It is a significant and growing source of employment and investment, based on the country’s cultural and environmental diversity.
Tourism can be a catalyst for environmental protection, regeneration and improvement in both rural and urban areas’.
UK Healthy Cities Network
The UK Healthy Cities Network is part of a global movement for urban health that is led and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Its vision is to develop a creative, supportive and motivating network for UK cities and towns that are tackling health inequalities and striving to put health improvement and health equity at the core of all local policies.
Healthy Cities is a global movement that engages local authorities and their partners in health development through a process of political commitment, institutional change, capacity-building, partnership-based planning and innovative projects. Healthy Cities seek to apply Health for All principles such as equity, empowerment, intersectoral collaboration and community participation through local action in urban settings. Within Europe there are more than a 100 Healthy Cities and 30 National Healthy Cities Networks with designated status from WHO Europe.
For more information go to http://www.healthycities.org.uk/