Tourism Businesses That Visit Wales Should Not Have Deleted From Their Platform

And, incongruously, those that they most certainly should have...

This post is in two parts, a list of businesses that I believe are legitimate and delivering, within UK law, quality tourism products to visitors to Wales that have been deleted from the Visit Wales platform and a list of businesses that operate within UK law but outside of the Visit Wales rules that those in the first list fell foul of that therefore ought then be deleted from the Visit Wales platform but for some reason, despite being reported, remain live.

Wales Outdoors wants zero businesses removed from the Visit Wales website. However, when Wales Outdoors was removed in March of 2020 we couldn’t allow for our competitors, those similarly refusing to be accredited by Visit Wales and delivering guided walks or activities, to remain live. At least we couldn’t not shout about it. And shout about it we have been doing for over four years now. To no avail. It’s as if there is no one in at Visit Wales.

If only the tourism industry in Wales had balls. Many operators tell me they are angry, in varying shades, from disillusioned to livid, with regard to their relationship with Visit Wales. There is a strong desire for change but accompanying that there is fear, fear that if they criticise Visit Wales that will impact their relationship with those whose hands are on the purse strings and so their bottom line, their bookings. That fear of a government department, who are public servants, is not healthy for the tourism industry or any democracy.

These are not exhaustive lists. These are tasters, drawn across varying methods of promotion on the Visit Wales websites. The outcome of the deletions means that almost all guided walk businesses, guided tour businesses that deliver walks of more than 30 minutes from the guides vehicle and all walking festivals or festivals that have guided walks listed, in the centenary year of the Wales Coast Path and the two subsequent years of Wales by Trails, are missing from the Visit Wales websites.

The main reason that visitors come to Wales, walking, has, on the Visit Wales websites, no searchable or bookable businesses delivering the thing they have come to Wales to do! And Visit Wales has a 12 Million budget to promote Wales. Seriously! What a joke! But I’m not laughing…

More businesses have been removed and many more that remain. To interrogate the Visit Wales site takes time and I have a business to run, promoting the best of Wales, professionally, with best practice qualifications for what I do and with consistent 5 Star feedback…

KNOWN LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES REMOVED FROM VISIT WALES PLATFORMS

In May of 2020 Visit Wales conducted an internal review following my complaint and removed an unknown number of businesses from their platform. The following are known business deletions since April 2022:

LLwybrau Defaid Eryri

Drover Holidays

Hike With A Husky

Hooftrek

1085 Adventures

Real Ale Wobble

Wales Activity Breaks

Guided Tours of Wales

Tours Wales

Butchers Arms

Brecon Beacons Tours

Wild Spirit

Dryad Bushcraft

Talgarth Walking Festival

Crickhowell Walking Festival

Trefriw Walking Festival

Gower Walking Festival

Turnstone Tours

Guided North Wales

TTT Tours

Wayfairing Walks

Absolute Escapes

Luettje Toern

The Big Retreat Festival

The Out and Wild Festival

Chepstow Walking Festival

Celtic Rainforest Festival

Wales Outdoors, removed from the Visit Wales website in March of 2020.

KNOWN LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES THAT REMAIN LIVE ON THE VISIT WALES PLATFORMS (But that do not have accreditation for the walks or adventure activities that they arrange or deliver, have been flagged to Visit Wales management and should therefore not be listed or promoted by Visit Wales).

Dyfi Donkey

South Wales Personal Tours

Cardiff Wales Guided Tours

Luxury North Wales Tours

Highlander Reisen

Dylans Tours

Stables Wellbeing

Schuy Reisen

Boundless Reisen

Lynott Tours

Mynydd Sleddog Adventures

The Ramblers

The Long Distance Footpath Association

Adventure Tours UK

Clyne Farm Centre

Adeo Travel

Alpine Travel

Routescape

Janet Redler Travel

Peter Sommer Travels

North Wales Adventure

Hafren Forest Hideaways

Wild About Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire Llama Sanctuary

Welsh Wild Life Breaks

Snowdonia Safaris

Wellbeing Walks

Celtic Rainforest Experience

Welsh Overland Safaris

Brecon Beacons Foraging

Beacons Discovery Tours

Cambrian Safaris

Pencelli Castle Caravan and Camping Park

Drovers Cycles

Love Trails Festival

Brecon Beacons Visitor Centre

Anders Reizen

Taff Valley Quad Bike Centre

Bicycle Beano

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.

1. Subscribing monthly via Substack

2. Making a one-off contribution via BuyMeACoffee

Your support is what allows these articles to keep being created and is enormously appreciated. Thank you.