Part of 2. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure – in the Senedd at 2:05 pm on 19 July 2017.
Can I thank Mark Isherwood for his question? I’m looking forward to joining him at Mold Blues and Soul Festival in August. Perhaps we could share a pint at the Alehouse or the Glasfryn afterwards. I’m sure it will be a magnificent event. Mold has carved out an enviable reputation in the region for hosting cultural food and drink and sporting events, and I’m sure that the Blues and Soul Festival will prove hugely successful. We fund, through the tourism product innovation fund, a number of regional and local events and activities that are designed to align with the thematic years, and in north Wales this year there have been a number of events that we’ve funded to capitalise on the Year of Legends, most notably in Conwy, where an incredible festival recently took place based on what was called ‘the tournament’ and included jousting. We work with local communities, with tourism providers, and with events organisers through Visit Wales to promote all activities that are taking place, but particularly with those that are aligned with the thematic years. We noticed that, in rallying the entire sector together by using the thematic years, we’ve been able to gain added value in terms of our offer, and that’s what’s lead to a significant increase in the marketing spend that’s been generated as a consequence of the thematic years, up by around about 18 per cent, we believe, just last year.