Weak pound 'to aid Wales tourism'

The strength of the Euro and the credit crunch could boost Welsh tourism as people shun expensive foreign holidays, industry leaders will be told later.

The Welsh Assembly Government's tourism summit in Gwynedd will be shown a new advertisement for the home market.

The 40 second advert will be on TV and, for the first time, in cinemas.

Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones said people wanted "real value and authentic quality, not over indulgence and ostentation".

He added ahead of the conference in Caernarfon: "This change in holidays is set against the backdrop of economic uncertainty.

"This is likely to make the market think harder and differently about their holidays choices, we could see a substitution of more expensive foreign holidays to UK holidays."

The value of sterling has dropped 13% against the euro in the last two months.

The advert for holidays in Wales will be shown in cinemas and on TV

It has had knock-on effect on British tourists looking to take holidays abroad but Welsh tourism chiefs are hoping to take advantage.

Comedian and radio presenter Rhod Gilbert is the star of the campaign, which includes web films that will also be hosted on video sharing websites.

During the films he is shown getting involved in raft building and coasteering, taking a cookery lesson and sampling wine at a vineyard in Wales.

It is part of a �2.2m investment in tourism marketing from the assembly government. Around two million leaflets will be distributed from January to March to previous visitors to Wales and to potential new visitors through newspapers.

Rhod Gilbert said: "Hopefully, the ads will do the same for other people as they did for me - remind them how beautiful Wales is, open their eyes to how much more there is to do nowadays, and make them want to visit again and again."

Conservative heritage spokesman Paul Davies AM said "proper investment and a proper strategy" were critical.

"The weakness of the pound and the looming recession are forcing more people to consider holidaying at home, " he said.

"We have long held concerns that the abolition of the Wales Tourist Board has had a damaging effect on our ability to market Wales as a leading tourism destination".

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