It Took 4 Years But Wales Outdoors Force The Welsh Government To Act

Wales Outdoors have forced the Welsh Governments hand and a full review of the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme is underway!

It's been an immense effort from Wales Outdoors owner, Andy Lamb, who for four years has been pressing Visit Wales to administer a scheme that is fit for purpose.

It is not. The scheme is overreach on a grand scale resulting in Visit Wales being the only tourism portal to demand qualified professionals undergo another level of intrusive and unnecessary inspection, at their own expense, and has resulted in there being no guided walk providers for non-group visitors to Wales listed on the Visit Wales website and many other guides falling foul of the Visit Wales accreditation protocols. If Visit Wales own rules were enforced, which in practice is arbitrary and likely all about 'who you know', the scheme captures every countryside guide that ventures further than 30 minutes from their vehicle. This could be a friendly accommodation owner taking a client on a walk, or a fishing guide, walks with Alpacas, bushcraft providers or Blue Badge Guides visiting a more remote historic site. All ought to be, under the current rules, accredited through the Visit Wales scheme.

After applying great pressure, at great expense in both time and money, Andy has successfully forced a full review of the accreditation scheme. Today, Visit Wales announced this through their newsletter.

Of course, Andy is critical of the target audience and of the questions asked in the survey Visit Wales is requesting recipients to complete, especially as it does not include a description of UK law and how far beyond this the Visit Wales scheme ventures. But it's done now and the results will be in, according to Andy, by April. For more information regarding overreach read this:

This is what Visit Wales says and we urge all with an interest in tourism in Wales to complete the questionnaire, those professionals that guide visitors in the countryside and also accommodation and attraction providers for whom the positive experience of tourists visiting Wales is important.

Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme - Review
Activity Businesses - we need your feedback!
Visit Wales is undertaking a review of our Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme. If you run an activity business in Wales, please help us by completing this short survey (approx 5 mins). The closing date for survey responses is Friday 16 February: Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance https://lnkd.in/ea4aGr_n
If you would like further information on the review or the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme please e-mail regionaltourism@gov.wales.

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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