Visit Wales Actively De-Platforming Wales Outdoors Whilst Promoting Similar Others
I respectfully request a meeting with senior Visit Wales staff, in person and allowing a suitable amount of time, and within weeks rather than months, to work through Visit Wales listing protocols. Of course, I should not have to be asking for this as I have supplied, on multiple occasions, details of errant businesses and copy, of which there are many listings and pages, but this information has not been actioned, despite multiple promises from Visit Wales management. More importantly, I should not have to be asking for this as this is not my job, it is Visit Wales staff’s job, but they are woefully inadequate at following their own rules, at the expense of businesses such as mine. Further, I request a timeframe for implementing the promised new protocol which will allow businesses such as Wales Outdoors a listing on the Visit Wales platform.
YOU BAN ME THEN YOU MUST BAN THEM ALL…
Because of inaction at Visit Wales following our Zoom meeting on November 4th, this inaction was noted by myself whilst checking the status of my business Wales Guided Tours and the banning of Wales Outdoors across all platforms linked to Visit Wales' Tourism Product Database, this has become urgent once again and I provide two examples below:
Wales Guided Tours is a relatively new venture, being a guided attraction visit business. This was initially denied a listing because it is an Andy Lamb business, but I shouted loudly and eventually, the listing was made live. I ticked the box for travel trade promotion. To date, Wales Guided Tours is not listed on the Visit Wales travel trade site. Why? I assert because this is my business and I am effectively 'shadowbanned' by Visit Wales staff, despite many agreeing with much that I state as evidenced here and extracted from FOI and with the agreement of such at the Zoom meeting with Steffan and Heledd on November 4th:
December 2022 - his point on Visit Britain and TXGB feels like a fair point too.
January 2023 - The points Andy raises are almost always valid ones
January 2023 - I know he has a particular manner but we are making progress and the changes we are putting in place (because of chatting to Andy) are having a wider positive outcome.
April 2023 I like Andy. He makes the world a colourful place and challenges our point of view. Sometimes that is not a bad thing.
June 2023 - but I don’t think anyone has gone back to him and I really think someone should
June 2023 - he appears positive at the moment. He gets great reviews and I know a bunch of people who’ve been on walks with him and love him. Interesting!
June 2023 - he is entitled to his point of view!
July 2023 - But the fact no-one is going back to him about his accreditation status is honestly a shambles
August 2023 - does anyone in grading have the capacity to respond to Andy even if it is a holding message?
Further, here is an example of a business being actively promoted by Visit Wales despite Visit Wales being notified in August that it does not comply with their protocols. They have a listing on Visit Wale’s main portal and the Visit Wales travel trade portal and they are also included in news bulletin copy. https://adventuretoursuk.com/tour-category/guided/
Please tell me why Adventure Tours UK, despite being called Adventure Tours and so this should have flagged the need for accreditation according to Visit Wale’s current rules, has received promotion from the Visit Wales team, in full knowledge that this business is not compliant, whilst Wales Guided Tours has not been added to the travel trade site or received any copy or any discussion about that for the future?
Wales Outdoors is a professional guiding business of thirty years standing. Staff are qualified mountain guides and we walk footpaths. I accept that the current rules preclude listing on Visit Wales websites. However, Visit Wales lists many businesses that are non-compliant with the current rules and despite on multiple occasions over multiple years pointing out the business names and web locations, be that in copy or as listings on the Visit Wales site, they remain. This is far from a level playing field and is evidence of Visit Wales favouring some and disabling others. You decide if this is incompetence or nepotism. It has to be one or the other.
Here is an example of such. Clyne Farm Centre, it’s in the title. Centre. They offer gorge walking and climbing and coastal rock hopping from their website and yet are not accredited to do so by any authority. How is it that they get promotion in copy and a listing on Visit Wales when Wales Outdoors is denied this? I will be posting here a damning expose of Clyne Farm Centre in the New Year, detailing multiple agencies ignoring whistle blowers and clients complaints over very many years. Why? Because Wales Outdoors is a much loved 5 Star business that is banned and Clyne Farm Centre is the opposite but is promoted.
I am utterly fed up with this time wasting which seems deliberate and designed to frustrate me and my business, taking up a good deal of my time and energy whilst at the same time very much affecting growth and so income. And so I ask once again, lets get this sorted once and for all.
Dawn Bowden Vaughan Gething MS Cardiff South & Penarth Mark Drakeford Rachel Cilliers (Allen) George Reid Jim Jones Michael Bewick Heledd Owen
Details of Wales Outdoors blanket ban by Visit Wales
Details of Visit Wales interference in MWT listing of Wales Outdoors
Details of Visit Wales admitting poor levels of platform provision, maintenance and entry protocols
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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