NORTH WEST CLUSTER
The first North West Tourism Cluster meeting was held at Gwesty’r Emlyn,
Newcastle Emlyn on Thursday 22nd September 2011.
Nearly 70 people attended, with a good mix of tourism businesses and
community members coming together to share ideas and give their views.
The three broad tourism themes taken forward for further development
in the North West Tourism Cluster are:



Promotion
The Teifi Valley
Trails
Working groups have now been formed to take these themes forward to the
next stage of development, where they will be developed into specific project
ideas.
The first working group meetings for the North West Tourism Cluster
will be held on Wednesday 16th November at The Red Dragon Hall,
Drefach Felindre.
It’s never too late to get involved – if you’d like to be a part of enhancing your
area’s tourism offering, please contact us on info@visitcarmarthenshire.co.uk
for information on how to join a working group.
Led by facilitator Marianne Pettifor, the meeting opened with a discussion on
what the North West Tourism Cluster had to offer visitors, and also, what
tourism brings to the area:
What does tourism bring to this area?
Jobs
Income
Money
Investment
Working Town
Facilities
Local food producers
Perception of / pride in the area
Keeps traditional crafts alive
Improved infrastructure
Development
New ideas / innovation
More businesses
More tourists (through word of mouth recommendations)
What is there in this area for tourists?
Shopping – many independent shops
National Wool Museum
West Wales Museum of Childhood
National Coracle Centre
The Teifi River
Canoe Centre
Teifi Valley Railway
Peace & Quiet
Walking – Ceredigion Coastal Path
Mills
History & Heritage – War Camp
Markets
Attendees were then split into groups to discuss any areas that they felt
needed further development in the North West Tourism Cluster. They were
asked to feedback their discussions to the other groups at the end of the
evening, and to identify the three themes that they felt most strongly about.
GROUP 1 DISCUSSION POINTS:

Signage – needs to be improved, as tourists can easily get lost in the
area. Also there is a need for better signage to the Teifi Valley from
outside the area – would brown signs be possible?

Communication – there is bad mobile phone signal strength in the area.

Walks –more promotion needed. Free leaflets or brochures with local
walks would be useful. More signs needed on the walks themselves
too.

Events – need a clear calendar of events – could be placed in the
walks leaflet.

Trails – Arthurian trail, artists trail, food trail – more themed trails. Could
be grouped together in a themed trails hardback book.

Advertising - it costs £1000 to advertise in the County Council
Destination Guide – this would give exposure to the Teifi Valley outside
of the local area.

Leaflets – a Teifi Tourist ‘Day’s Out’ leaflet with suggestions of places
to go and things to do. Collaboration is needed between the tourist
attractions to produce this.

Strengths – Carmarthenshire is marketed as ‘The Garden of Wales’ –
but what does it have? Nature, stillness, oxygen, no light pollution,
green scenery, cooking / food. Our strengths need to be promoted.

Website – a website for Carmarthenshire visitors – or a new identity for
ones that already exist? (Discover Carmarthenshire) One central
website for all would be ideal. A Teifi Valley link to existing websites
needs to be set up.

Tourist Information – there is a lack of tourist information centres in this
area.
Three themes prioritised by Group 1 and fed back to other groups:
1. Branding – strengthen and promote key features ‘Carmarthenshire…
It’s Magic’ taking in nature, mythology, crafts, music, food,
peacefulness.
2. Promotion – including websites, tourist information centres,
promotional materials, local leaflets, guidebooks, BBC, national media
(Flog It!, Escape to the Country) promotional tourist film, tourist board,
new media, Visit Wales.
3. Orientation – themed trails, signposts, phones, WiFi.
GROUP 2 DISCUSSION POINTS:

Eating Out – there is a lack of local establishments that open on a
Sunday and Monday, and also a lack of communication locally as
regards those who are open. Would it be possible to start a rota of local
restaurants and cafes to ensure that someone is open on Sunday and
Monday? Also information as regards the use of local products in local
cafes and restaurants needs to be improved.

River Teifi – the main asset of the area. More focus needed on the river
as regards promotion and marketing.

Events – one large event is needed to attract visitors. For example, a
Dragon Festival.

Website – a central website is needed for event information.

Communication – more networking is needed between businesses.
Three themes prioritised by Group 2 and fed back to other groups:
1. Communications and Marketing.
2. The River Teifi – raising the profile of water related activities such as
canoeing and fishing and related activities such as walking.
3. Food – more information as regards eating out, promotion of local food,
better opening times (as regards Sundays and Mondays, ie, rota
between local establishments.)
GROUP 3 DISCUSSION POINTS:

Tourist Information – there is a lack of tourist information in the area.
Reinstate the tourist information centre in Newcastle Emlyn! This is a
central point for promotion, communication, and information.

Promotional Materials – a Teifi Valley brochure needs to be produced,
linked to a website, and centred around themes e.g. Craft trail booklets,
food trail booklets, what’s on booklets and so on.

Castle – more use needs to be made of the castle.

Activity Centre – there needs to be more for children to do, from tots to
teenagers. For example a skateboard area and climbing wall. Emlyn
Hall could be a location for an activity centre like this.

Biodiversity – marshes, moorland, shared earth, permaculture, peat
bog. The Green Book.

Uniqueness – promote the unique character of the local towns of
Newcastle Emlyn and Llandysul. Lots of individual shops, a largely
independent high street.

Festival – a river festival could be developed, also making use of the
castle. Similar events in Cardigan, Cenarth and Llandysul but not in
Newcastle Emlyn.

History – promoted through medieval re-enactments and Shakespeare
plays in the Castle.
Three themes prioritised by Group 3 and fed back to other groups:
1. Tourist information / Promotion of area.
2. Activities.
3. Castle & River – make more of them.
GROUP 4 DISCUSSION POINTS:

Signage – need more signage to direct to ‘The Teifi Valley’ as a
destination. Brown signs needed further afield to direct visitors to the
area.

Landscape – a key strength of the area, need to promote it to potential
visitors.

Communication – increased communication needed with the County
Council. Council need to let locals know what’s on in the area and what
promotion has been undertaken, and local businesses / groups need to
tell the council’s tourism and marketing team about themselves and
any events that are upcoming so that the council can promote and let
the press know.

Tourist Information – there is a lack of Tourist Information Centres in
the area. Better tourist information is needed. Ideas include a touch
screen information point, providing information at a central point on the
high street, such as the Post Office.

Publicity – printed leaflets to be distributed along M4 service stations,
and places like McDonalds in Carmarthen where people commonly
stop for a break.

Cenarth – needs to be better promoted, and more welcoming to
tourists, for example, in terms of using the river to fish. (Historically
there has been some opposition from local fishermen to this.)

Trails – ideas include a Teifi Valley walk (footpaths need improving), a
driving trail, a Newcastle Emlyn river walk.

Retail – Newcastle Emlyn is a living, working town with great local
shops and a largely independent high street. This is an attraction for
tourists.

Working together – a Teifi Valley pass or Voucher booklet for local
attractions.

Heritage – more promotion of our Welsh heritage, history, museums,
King Arthur.
Three themes prioritised by Group 4 and fed back to other groups:
1. Teifi Valley Promotion – the Teifi Valley as a destination needs better
promotion.
2. Landscape / Activities – better use of the natural landscape for outdoor
activities, including walking, cycling and fishing.
3. Heritage – local myths, legends and culture.
GROUP 5 DISCUSSION POINTS:

Trails – ideas include cycle trails linked to walk ways, a wheelchair
friendly heritage trail, sculpture, geotrail, working with schools to use /
develop.

Arts – developing Pwerdy (based in Llandysul) as an arts centre.

Leaflets – themed leaflets for promotion.

Profile – the profile of the area needs to be increased / more
awareness needed of the area.

Identity – create and promote a distinct identity for each town within the
cluster.

Co-working – towns need to work together for the good of the cluster –
is increased cooperation between the Chambers of Trade possible?

Marketing – identifying the target audience, and providing information
to them - by email, through Tourist Information Centres, public
information points. What works?

Transport – between the tourist attractions and towns within the cluster.

Food – improving food facilities – for example, better evening opening.
Three themes prioritised by Group 5 and fed back to other groups:
1. Identity – making each town distinctive.
2. Co-working – to provided consistent opening hours, better
communication and so on.
3. Marketing – better marketing of the area.
The three broad tourism themes taken forward for further development
in the North West Tourism Cluster are:



Promotion
The Teifi Valley
Trails