Tourism Swansea Newsletter

which is intended to become a one stop activity booking facility for Gower.

As you will see later in the newsletter our Tourism Awareness Days have proved a great success – there’s nothing like learning at first hand what is on offer in the area. I joined the visit to the National Waterfront Museum and was impressed by the internal and external space that has been created. This is going to be a big attraction in spite of its external design which I believe lacks the hwyl to make it anything other than a box paying lip service to its Welsh origins.

From the balcony overlooking the old South Dock there is a glimpse of the sea out to Mumbles Head through a space alongside the Marriott Hotel. Ironically this space looks set to be filled with a 29 storey tower block – what price reconnecting the city to the sea?

Next month we hope to be in a position to announce a major – dare I say sensational - new training and business development programme which ‘departs’ from traditional college based programmes. It will benefit our members and other tourist related businesses in the greater Swansea Bay area by enabling members to take part in training programmes at their own convenience. So, if you think that learning about Roman Swansea or how to rig up the latest surf kite would benefit your business and visitors then a one to one course could be developed just for you.

We’ve been campaigning for a while for simpler ticketing options for the Wales Rally GB which takes place in September. This looks as if it is happening and there appears to be a move towards making the visitor experience to stages and the Swansea Service Centre at Velindre more interesting for the non enthusiast visitor. This is a huge event which will benefit every business in Swansea and we will continue to press for the inclusion of a Kilvey Hill Urban Forest Stage in next year’s event.

Concluding on a motoring theme let’s hope that the painfully slow roadworks courtesy of Morrison and B&Q at Morfa are finished soon and that our visitors are not greeted with Road Up and Diversion signs across the city.

Don’t forget our next meeting at the Glamorgan Arms on 13 July is our AGM and until then – enjoy the sun!

Geoff Haden

Chairman

Become a Wizz at Emails!

Following the success for the last course run, the Swansea Bay IT Centre in association with Tourism Swansea, have developed a MS Outlook Workshop.
The Swansea Bay IT Support Centre workshops are designed to give you the support and confidence in using ICT within your business. The couse has been designed to cover basic ICT skills and is delivered by accredited experts.

The workshop will include:

Sending and receiving eMail
Branding your eMail
Using your Address Book
Organising your eMail
Customising your Outlook Window

The workshop will take place on 16th June, from 3.00-5.00pm, at XL Wales Technology Centre, 20 Princess Way, Swansea. Workshop price £15.00 inc VAT.
To register or for further information please contact Emma Duguid on 01792 545068 or email

Tourism Swansea AGM

The first Tourism Swansea AGM will take place on Tuesday 13th July at The Glamorgan Arms, Bryntierion Road, Pontlliw. There will be a committee meeting from 11.00-12.00 and the AGM will begin at 12.00 noon. A buffet lunch will be provided.

We hope that you will join us for the meeting to look at the future of Tourism Swansea over the coming year. If you would like any further information about the AGM or any other Tourism Swansea meeting, please contact Michelle on 01792 403333.

Last Chance to Renew your Membership Fees

For all those businesses who have yet to renew you fees, please hurry! You are not gaining all the advantages of being a member of Tourism Swansea. We need you to pay your fees before we can issue you with your benefit pack and to keep your webpage on the Tourism Swansea website.

Over the last year, the team at Tourism Swansea have been working extremely hard, negotiating discounts and benefits for you and your business. By taking advantage of only on or 2 of these benefits, this will more than cover your cost of membership for the year.

If you would like to discuss what your business will gain from membership to Tourism Swansea or you would like us to visit you to show you the benefit pack or you simply have misplaced your form, then please contact Michelle on 01792 403333 or email .

Your Benefit Pack is Ready!!

We would like to thank all of you who have renewed your membership with Tourism Swansea and we look forward to continue working with you over the coming year.
We are please to announced that your benefit pack is ready for you to collect. We are trying to distribute as many as we can ourselves, through our meetings and Trade Open Days. However, we do have limited resources and would be grateful if you could collect them from the Tourism Swansea office at Clyne Farm Centre. If you are unable to do this, please contact Michelle to make alternative arrangements.

We would also like to make sure that our record are kept up to date and if your business has recently changed owners, name etc, or you are not recieving information by email when you have the equipment ot do so, please let us know.

Marketing Grant for City's Events

Do you want to attract more people to your event this year? Would you like to market your event to the wider audience? If the answer if YES the let us help you!
Tourism Swansea is looking to support local events and festivals in order to attraxt more visitors to Swansea and Gower. We are giving grant to enhance the marketing of events in the City.

'We have available a small budget for events marketing from the South West Wales Tourism Partnership. We are looking to support events that will attract visitors to the area out of peak season. We want to enhance the visitor experience to Swansea and to increase the visitor spend per head.
We will look at all types of events, both exisiting events and new ones. The grant is available to improve the marketing of the event, not the actual running of the event.'

If you would like to apply for the grant or would like futher information, please contact Michelle on 403333 or email

Open Day Success

We are pleased to report that the series of trade open days that we have been running for the last few weeks have been a great success. Many of you have had the opportunity to gain a wider knowledge of what there is for visitors to do in Swansea and to give first hand recommendations.

One of the most popular days was to the Michton Chocolate Factory at Fforestfach, which many people didn't know was there! We were also one of the first public visits to the National Waterfront Muesum and we have also been to the Gower Heritage Centre, Dan yr Ogof Showcaves, Clyne Farm Centre and Gower Surf Development.

One of the days proved to be so popular that we are giving all those that missed out the first time the chance to go again. Members were absolutley thrilled with their boat trip from Gower Coast Adventure. One member enjoyed it so much that they took their whole family back on the weekend!!
To book you place on the next Gower Coast Adventure Trip from Port Eynon to Worms Head (trip lasts approx 2 hours), on .Monday 28th June at 10am contact Dave Tonge on 07866 250440. (places limited to 2 per business).

There is also still time to book your place on the remaing day.
Taliesin and Egypt Centre, Swansea Univeristy and also the National Pool and Sports Centre - Friday 11th June, 2.30-4.30 pm
To book your place on either of the above days, contact Michelle at the Tourism Swansea office on 01792 403333.

Swansea Unitary Development Plan

Tourism Swansea's responses to the Unitary Development Plan togther with the Council's reply are now in the office, if anyone would like to come and see them.
A full report is available on . The next draft plan will be pubnlished this year - if you have any points which you would like us to raise then please contact us 01792 403333 or email .

Foundation Food Hygiene Course

Did you know that it is a requirement for people who process and handle food products to be formally trained in Food Hygiene?

Stac Training Ltd is running a Foundation Food Hygiene Course on 22nd July 2004 ( other dates can be arranged).
The course will be run for one day (9.15am-4.00pm) and cost £25.00 per person, inclusive of VAT. Included in the price is a certificate by The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

The aim of the course is to provide the food handler with an awareness and fundamental knowledge of food hygiene, which can be applied to essentail practical skills in order to prevent food poisoning.
The course assessment is conducted by means of a multi-choice question paper, successful completeion of which lead to certification.

Course Content:

Bacteriology
Temperature control
Prevention of food poisoning
Food contamination
Personal hygiene
Premises and equipment
Pest control
Cleaning and disinfecting
Legislation

For further information on the above course or for details of future courses, please contact: Stacs Training Ltd, 2nd Floor, 35 The Kingsway, Swansea, SA1 5LF. Tel no 01792 463453

June Events

Below is a list of some of the events that are taking place in Swansea during June.

* Gower Folk Festival, Friday 11^th – Sunday 13^th June, Gower Heritage Centre. Contact 01792 371206 or visit

* Festival of Transport ‘Under Milk Wood’ Road Run, Saturday 19^th June, Start from Dylan Thomas Centre Car Park, 10.30am for 11.15am. For further information contact Ashley Lovering on 07814 958379.

* Festival of Transport, Sunday 20^th June, County Hall Grounds, 10.30am – 4.30pm. For further information contact Ashley Lovering on 07814 958379.

* Swansea Special Festival of Music and Sport, Sunday 27^th – Wednesday 30^th June. Contact 01792 635428 for locations, times and further information.

If you have any events that you would like to add to our lists or be displayed on the News and Events section of our website then please let us know.

Tourism Swansea Website Statistics

Each month we will be letting you know how many visities we have has to tourismswansea.com and the top 5 member pages.

Website Statistics for May 2004

Visits                                              2,035
Average per Day                                 65
International Visits                           55.04%
Visits from UK                                 44.82%
Visitors who visited once                   625
Visitors who visited more than once   203

Top 2 pages by visits:

tourismswansea.com
tourismswansea.com/flashmap/

Top Microsites by visits:

Special Offer - 38 visits
The Shieling - 16 visits
Bayswater Guest House - 16 visits
The White House Hotel - 15 visits
Carreglwgd Camping and Caravan Park - 13 visits

The indications from this month is that if you have any special offers there is a greater chance of them driving visitors to your own website or business.

Please can all members make sure that the information that is displayed on their pages is correct and up to date and can all those who have still not send their information in, do so as soon as possible.

We currently have website statistics from end January 2004 - plenty of other businesses featured in the top sites including Dragon Divers, Mumbles Hill House, Alexander Hotel, Barlands Cottage and Surf Sound Guest House. If you would like a copy of these, please contact Michelle.