#MWT Behind the Scenes August 2019 Blog

In the second instalment of a new series of blog articles called #MWTBehindTheScenes, our MWT Chief Exec Val Hawkins gives a run-down about some of the work we've been doing recently to represent and lobby for your best interests.

Wales Tourism Week

We’ll pick up where we left off in May, when Val represented Mid Wales at the Senedd in Cardiff at the launch event for Wales Tourism Week, and also attended the reception in Westminster. The WTA, along with its partners including MWT promoted the value of partnership and raise awareness of the industry’s importance to the Welsh economy. (Read all about WTW in this article from the Wales Tourism Alliance).

During May we also met with Powys County Council in Llandrindod Wells to discuss tourism in the county and we held our Mid Wales Tourism Board Meeting at our offices in Machynlleth; thanks to all our board members who give up their time and expertise voluntarily to support MWT and the tourism industry in Mid Wales.

A special thanks to Jonathan Jones CBE for giving up his time to attend our May board meeting. For those that don't know Jo, he joined the Wales Tourist Board in 1973 and in appointed the Chief Executive of the WTB in 1999. In 2006 WTB was taken into the Welsh Assembly and became ‘Visit Wales’ as we know it today. Retiring in 2013, he shares his experience, knowledge and passion for Welsh tourism and today he is a special advisor for the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism; the capacity in which he attended our MWT board meeting. See image below.

​Into June, Val attended the Gwynedd Destination Partnership Meeting and a Tourism Ambassadors for Wales meeting in Llandudno – a showcase event to look at how ambassador schemes have been implemented in different areas of Wales.

In July, Val represented MWT at:
·         The Mid Wales Regional Tourism Forum at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.
·         A Cross Party Group meeting in Cardiff where Jason Thomas, Director for Culture, Tourism and Sport for Welsh Government presented an overview of Visit Wales’ action plan for tourism. We also met with the Visit Wales marketing team at Treforest.
·         A meeting with North Wales Tourism to discuss the current North & Mid Wales Business Events project and more.
·         A presentation to the Visit Wales Quality Assessment team regarding business engagement.
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We hope this gives you a flavour of some of the work we do that you don’t necessarily get to hear about - we’ll endeavour to keep you up to date. If you have any questions about our representational role, please contact [email protected]