This is Wrexham tourism partnership secures £64k of new funding to support local hospitality businesses in Wrexham

Wrexham’s local tourism partnership ‘This is Wrexham’ have secured £64k of grant funding from Cadwyn Clwyd of what is expected to be a busy summer season for the local hospitality trade.

The funding, based around supporting the wider ‘Year of Trails” programme in Wales will offer member businesses a wide range of supporting measures to gear them up for the 2023/24 calendar.

For businesses signing-up during the current Membership window (until 30th May), the new grant funding will offer a wide range of marketing support via photography, filming, new maps, blogging by travel writers, restaurant & café masterclass sessions, customer service training plus much more linked through to the This is Wrexham website.

Chatting this week, This is Wrexham Partnership Chair Sam Regan (the Lemon Tree) said that a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to relaunch the partnership this year and he explained this new funding will really help Wrexham’s tourism trade gain extra benefit from the new wave of international interest in what Wrexham has to offer.

Sam said, “A lot of work has been going on to get us to this exciting new stage. We’re seeing Wrexham in the news each week for all of the positive reasons that it deserves and with that, a new wave of visitors are continually arriving. Of course, the exposure that the football club’s success is bringing to the area is a large factor – but I also have guests staying who are doing new business in the area, coming to see why Wrexham was shortlisted for the UK City of Culture last year – or just because it’s an area that they’ve not yet explored and are intrigued to see why we’re so special.”

He continued; “However, for all of the good that increasing visitor numbers bring – we’re still facing huge challenges in the hospitality industry through ever-increasing overheads, staffing shortages and stiff competition for business as we go through a cost of living crisis. Therefore re-engaging local tourism operators via the partnership scheme ahead of the summer season and offering each new additional support that the funding allows us to do, will only help us achieve more cross-promotion and strengthen our collective offer as we all shout about why Wrexham is a must visit destination!”

Wrexham Council are also supporting the partnership this year by offering a wide range of tourism projects via their new “Placemaking” scheme. In the coming months, the first tourism brochure for several years is launching, a new online Ambassador Scheme is set to go live this summer which aims to help staff within the industry understand more about the local area so that they can give a more informed level of information to visitors.

In addition, there will be new promotional films and work with Visit Wales to promote Wrexham to overseas visitors who are planning a future visit.

Tourism Manager at Wrexham Council, Joe Bickerton believes that the continued joint-working with the tourism partnership is key to helping maximise the experience that visitors receive, “We’ve seen such a positive decade or so for tourism here in Wrexham – probably since 2009 when the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal was designed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However we’re entering another exciting new phase of Wrexham’s history now and one that has the potential to really boost the area for many years to come. The tourism & hospitality businesses in Wrexham are incredibly passionate about giving a great welcome and working with local producers to support the economy and the projects that we have in place for 2023 should really help shine the spotlight on both Wrexham and these businesses further!”

Membership for the This is Wrexham Tourism Partnership, priced at £50, is open until 30th May to businesses within Wrexham County who are primarily set-up as visitor attractions, graded accommodation providers, destination eateries or who’s primary function is to welcome visitors to the Wrexham area – for more details, visit https://www.thisiswrexham.co.uk/membership