Mismanagement, Lies And Nepotism Is Welsh Government Tourism
Mismanagement, Lies And Nepotism Is Welsh Government Tourism
Wales Outdoors is listed on Visit Britain and Visit Cardiff but NOT on Visit Wales…This is a timeline of my attempts to have Visit Wales work in the public and Welsh tourism interests and simply have a level playing field for providers and to engage with the industry that brings visitors into Wales. What follows is not an exhaustive list of malfeasance at Visit Wales but just one small tourism provider’s experiences.
Background to the Wales Outdoors ongoing dispute with Visit Wales. Full details with links to detailed information regarding all claims made here can be found in this post…
Sometime 2005 WTB spend £££’s on Website and contracted a web designer in Australia to do it. That website is now gone… How much have they spent since?
February 2006 As Wild As You Want It is publicly funded but promoting some over others. That website is now gone… https://walesoutdoors.substack.com/p/as-wild-as-you-want-it
Likely 2008 Mathew Evans, rumoured to be the son of the head of the WTB, won the publishing contract for Activity Wales Magazine. That magazine is now gone…
Sometime 2008 Visit Wales admitted promoting some over others and promised to do something about it…
Sometime 2010 Wales in Style evidences nepotism. Their publicly funded website stopped updating when they received the final grant payment… https://walesoutdoors.substack.com/p/visit-wales-waste-cash
April 2012 Visit Wales admitted promoting some over others and promised to do something about it…
I took a break from arguing with those with rocks in their ears until they removed Wales Outdoors from their platform…
May 2020 Visit Wales bulk remove guided walk providers, including Wales Outdoors, from their website, without engaging with the providers or the tourism industry
June 2020 Visit Wales returns no guided walk providers in a guided walk search on their website. This remains the case today.
August 2020 Wales Outdoors admonishes Visit Wales for not engaging with guided walk providers
September 2020 Wales Outdoors admonishes Visit Wales for funding start ups offering the same provision as Wales Outdoors
November 2020 Wales Outdoors complains about the ‘We’re Good To Go’ scheme
October 2021 Visit Wales notified of multiple businesses offering the same walks as Wales Outdoors that they are listing without accreditation
November 2021 Notice given that something must be done about uncredited businesses or allowing Wales Outdoors onto the Visit Wales website
November 2021 Multiple phone calls and emails including detailed evidence of Visit Wales platforming some but not Wales Outdoors.
December 2021 Vaughan Gething notified of impending court action
December 2021 Small claim filed with the court service
June 2022 Court case to be heard. I was given just a few day’s notice that the Welsh Gov would seek to have the case struck out. The judge said this was ‘very unusual’. The case was not heard.
July 2022 Multiple outcomes for Visit Wales to work on outlined at a meeting none of which were then implemented.
September 2022 Meeting with Visit Wales management who assured me that work was ongoing and that implementation of outcomes would continue. None of the outcomes have been implemented.
October 2022 Wales Outdoors on Visit Britain but not on Visit Wales!
November 2022 Apologies from Visit Wales
December 2022 MP, MS and Vaughan Gething notified that no guided walk businesses were listed on Visit Wales (not true as they had been hidden as attractions and that category I was not searching)
April 2023 Visit Wales says they are still working on engagement. Said I could get a degree in Health and Safety and self certify.
August 2023 I began listing uncredited businesses offering the same as Wales Outdoors. There are very many all hiding under the category attraction or as walking festivals or copy for the Ramblers etc. I demand the removal of them all or the platforming of Wales Outdoors.
August 2023 I received notice that one listing had been removed. It still has not been removed.
August 2023 I sent 35 examples of businesses offering walks the same or similar to Wales Outdoors and being listed on the Visit Wales platform. I’m sure there are many more. These 35 remain there today.
September 2023 Multiple emails and failures to attend meetings by Visit Wales staff. Visit Wales, Dawn Bowden and Vaughan Gething will not answer the questions I have raised or look at the examples I have sent. The Welsh Government have conflated my FOI request, for my own data, with my questions and examples and will not respond to me on any matter until November 20th 2023.
October 2023 Wales Outdoors is on Visit Cardiff but not on Visit Wales.
October 2023 Mark Drakeford has agreed to see me as he is my AM, BUT, he won’t meet until The Welsh Government have wasted further £££’s on legal fees and FOI request investigations and internal reports. Visit Wales have already admitted they are wrong in this. The problem is they have not acted on the matters I have raised.
In the meantime, and provably since 2006, Wales Outdoors remains discriminated against, is unfairly disadvantaged in the tourism marketplace and is most definitely losing income because of the unfair competition.
Visit Wales is not and has never been fit for purpose. It truly is time for change.
Many have voiced their concerns to me regarding Visit Wales. Most feel powerless, even those that have influence in tourism in Wales. Please add your voice to mine and together let’s make the change, that most tourism operators in Wales wish to see, a reality.
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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