50% Of Visit Wales 2024 Travel Trade Partners Do NOT Have Visit Wales Accreditation!
Following on from my complaint made against the Welsh Government and Visit Wales that is now with the Ombudsman for Wales, details of that complaint can be found here, it has been brought to my attention that there is a Visit Wales ‘backdoor’ to activity listing, a backdoor that allows numerous unaccredited by Visit Wales businesses access to Visit Wales promotions. Of course, Wales Outdoors remains precluded from those same promotion opportunities.
The backdoor is the Travel Trade site, a site that links out to very many businesses that offer just the kind of product that Wales Outdoors offers but that Wales Outdoors is denied access to. I interrogated the Visit Wales Travel Trade website and within thirty minutes located over thirty-five businesses, offering the same or similar products as Wales Outdoors, that are not accredited by Visit Wales, and yet are being promoted by Visit Wales. There will be more and I did not look at adventure activity, for which there will be an even greater number. Indeed, as stated in the title for this blog post, 50% of Visit Wales preferred partners for 2024 fall foul of Visit Wales own rules! I believe this to be damning evidence and in combination with my initial complaint can only lead to a conclusion by the Ombudsman for Wales that Visit Wales is not fit for purpose. However, we’ll need to wait and see on that…
As an addendum to my complaint to the Ombudsman for Wales, I have sent this for the ombudsman’s consideration:
In support of my complaint, new evidence has been made available to me and I would also like to re-iterate one point, made by Visit Wales staff.
Can I remind you that Visit Wales staff, as revealed in an FOI request, stated 'the points Andy makes are almost always valid ones'. This shows that they agree but are unable or unwilling to implement their own rules.
Today I received an email from Visit Wales inviting me to a webinar. This is for the Travel Trade. Here is a photo of Visit Wales 2024 partners included in that email:
A casual search and it's clear that Adeo Travel, Adventure Tours UK, Alpine Travel, Routescape, Janet Redler Travel, Dylan’s and Cambria all offer guided walks and adventure activities and are all unaccredited businesses. They appear on the travel trade site, and some on the Visit Wales site too. I've looked at this and there are a great many more businesses on the travel trade site that have no accreditation.
Please note Adventure Tours UK. Senior Visit Wales staff have been informed of this errant business, since Autumn 2023, and I highlighted this business as a key example in my complaint to you. How can they be 2024 partners with full knowledge that they have no accreditation?
It could be that the travel trade requires no accreditation, but if that is the case why has Wales Outdoors not been allowed a travel trade listing? However, I do not think that is the case. I think that Visit Wales listings across both the tourist and trade sites have the same protocols. I assert this as this is what I have been told and this is why Wales Outdoors is denied a listing on the Travel Trade site. It would appear that this backdoor to listing and provision of activities without accreditation is one that many are making good use of, but of course, Wales Outdoors is denied that opportunity.
All of the authority centres, most of which I know deliver guided walks of more than thirty minutes from the leader’s vehicle or base, are unaccredited - so Elan Valley, Cwmcarn, BBNP Visitor Centre etc. These should all be removed.
I've just spent a half hour looking at walking-specific businesses that are listed on the travel trade site but are not accredited. This is not an exhaustive search and there will be more. I have not looked at adventure activity businesses but am sure there are many that are listed but not accredited.
https://www.wayfaringwalks.com/
https://www.absoluteescapes.com/
https://www.highlaender-reisen.de/
https://www.dylanstours.cymru/
https://stables-wellbeing.co.uk/
https://www.luettje-toern.de/
https://www.schuy-reisen.de/
https://www.boundless-reisen.de/
https://www.lynotttours.com/wales/walking-tour-wales.html
https://www.visitswanseabay.com/ - hosts unaccredited with Visit Wales providers
https://www.mwtcymru.co.uk/ - hosts unaccredited with Visit Wales providers
https://mynyddsleddogadventures.com/
Group Travel Toolkit https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/media/1889/36998_nrw_grouptraveltoolkit_nationaltrails_english-final-27-april-2021.pdf - This links out to the Ramblers and the Long Distance Walking Association, both of whom are not accredited, and it also links out to a variety of walking festivals, all of which are not and can never be accredited. This is rather outrageous as this is an information pdf that is designed to inform tour planners.
I would like you to consider this new evidence when formulating your response to my complaint and as always I am available for questions at any time.
You can book our walks through the Wales Outdoors Website or, if you are a group, you can book us for a bespoke adventure, you choose the date and time, using the ‘Book Your Guide’ option.
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