UKH

A tourism campaign has installed giant mirrored letters spelling the word EPIC at Snowdonia's Pen y Gwryd. Not everyone is blown away.

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In reply to UKH News:

Well at least it's not as damaging as other artistic installation attempts in the area have been...

The problem with Welsh tourism (particular niche and adventure tourism) is not international recognition but the attitude and impression visitors tend to get from their visit. I run a couple of outdoor tourism-ish businesses in North Wales, and it can be quite frustrating at times. The mood of locals not directly involved in the tourism industry is that they would like the money of the visitors, but they'd rather not have the visitors themselves. Those who work in the tourism industry tend to come from outside North Wales, and their attitude to what visitors might want or expect is a mixed bag.

I really notice the difference between dealing with North Wales accommodation providers, councils and other suppliers and their counterparts in Cumbria or Scotland - it's the difference between begrudgingly dealing with your request, and happily engaging with you because you share a goal.

In reply to richprideaux:

You make a valid point about the locals... things have improved in the past 30 years but I well remember having a flat tyre late one evening in the Cwm Bychan valley. I was driving a full minibus, up from University in Cardiff and it turned out we had no spare wheel. With a friend I walked to a local farm, apologised for the inconvenience, and asked if I could call the AA. The reply was cold, unhelpful and in Welsh. Fortunately my friend was from Camarthen, a native speaker and managed to charm the man into letting us use his phone (in exchange for 20 pence).

I lived for 20 years in Cardiff and have a Welsh heritage, I get the whole thing about protecting our culture, but your comments about wanting the benefits of tourism without the tourists rang a very strong chord with me. Despite the brilliant efforts of many, North Walian hospitality still has a mountain to climb.