August 2006 Newsletter: A message from Andrew Davies.
A message from Andrew Davies, Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks.
With almost 750 miles of unspoilt coastline and a host of inland waterways, Wales has considerable expertise in many water-based activities. In addition, it has dozens of safe harbours, superb marinas and 43 Blue Flag beaches, just the infrastructure to enable it to become a major destination for marine watersports tourism. With judicious marketing and hard promotional work to harness the synergy that exists among our many operators, Wales has considerable scope to grow its earnings from this segment of the activity market. That is why the Welsh Assembly Government tourist team - Visit Wales - awarded a contract to Wales Watersports in November 2004 to be its partner in promoting this venture.
The Welsh Assembly Government, through Visit Wales, fully backs Wales Watersports in their efforts to promote our country as a watersports destination and to raise the quality of infrastructure and the level of expertise of all enthusiasts.
Already Wales Watersports has developed a website with free listings for more than 200 registered businesses. Wales also took a larger area at the London Boat Show than ever before with individual space for six companies and representation for many others. In addition, Wales Watersports has developed a strategy of treating sailing and other watersports as separate products and has set out all that Wales has to offer the enthusiast in the Wales Watersports brochure along with the products and services of its 45 partners. And Sailing Today magazine was selected to carry 12,000 copies of the Sailing Guide to subscribers.
Apart from promoting Wales’ natural amenities and superb infrastructure - which is still growing at a rapid rate with approval for a marina at Beaumaris, new pontoons being installed at Pwllheli and a project to improve facilities on the River Teifi under way.
Wales Watersports have also been involved in working with the organisers of the Celtic Goodwill Raid, a major which showcases much that Wales has to offer watersports enthusiasts everywhere. The Celtic Goodwill Raid is also an opportunity for sailors of all types to join a flotilla of craft of every description in a staged voyage of discovery during which visitors will have the chance to try a wide variety of watersports, including sailing, wakeboarding and canoe polo. The adventure, which started with a watersports festival in Holyhead, will follow the Welsh coastline to arrive for the Swansea Watersport Festival. Then it will round Cornwall and cross to Brittany for some of Europe’s biggest watersports events. The project is being developed by Nautisme Espace Atlantique (NEA), an organisation set up to promote watersports throughout Europe’s Celtic regions and one whose work I have seen at first hand.
Visitor Information
