North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to ensure that all that Alyn and Deeside, and the surrounding area, has to offer is promoted to the rest of the World.
Speaking in the Welsh Parliament yesterday, Mr Isherwood detailed a selection of Alyn and Deeside’s assets and asked the Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language, Eluned Morgan AM, what action she is taking to ensure that the area is being properly promoted to other countries.
He said:
“From Caergwrle Castle to Gladstone's Library, from the Enbarr ‘Shotton Point’ Project to the wonderful work of the North East Wales Heritage Forum, which includes the Buckley Society, Quay Watermen's Association, Deeside and District Local History Society, Saltney and Saltney Ferry History Group and much more, Alyn and Deeside has very much to offer visitors from across the World.
“What engagement are you having or do you propose to have with the incredible ‘North Wales Tourism’ organisation and its ‘Go North Wales’ brand, which is perhaps leading the way in working to promote not only Alyn and Deeside but the region within which it sits to the World around us?”
The Minister replied:
“I hope you will have seen that, in the Strategy, sustainable adventure tourism, which I very much associate with North Wales, as well as there being some great opportunities in South Wales, is something that we are specifically focused on. So, the key thing with these international strategies is how do you grab attention in the first place and I think that's what we've been trying to say: look, actually, when it comes to sustainable, adventure tourism, Wales is the place to be.
“Once they're there, then we can direct them to Gladstone's Library or whatever else. I mean, it may not be the same kind of people who want to go to Gladstone's Library and jump off a cliff, but I think the key thing is how we grab attention for ourselves initially, and that's what we're trying to do”.
