Millions Of Pounds Worth Of Global Coverage For Swansea Bay

More than £2m worth of publicity about Swansea Bay as a visitor destination has appeared in newspapers, blogs and magazines across the world this year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The coverage has come about thanks to Swansea Council successfully inviting over 30 professional writers and bloggers to visit Swansea Bay. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Feature writers from key titles such as the Daily Mirror, the London Evening Standard, the Sunday Times and Coast Magazine are among those to have visited. A number of high-profile travel bloggers with many tens of thousands of followers on social media have also spent time in Swansea Bay this year, which has resulted in positive coverage for the area, both online and offline. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

A growing number of the council’s marketing partners are helping to support the visits, including Café Twocann, Morgans Hotel and Oxwich Watersports. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

All coverage generated is shared on social media by the council’s tourism team and by its marketing partners, helping to raise Swansea Bay’s profile as a visitor destination. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “Now worth more than £400m a year to Swansea Bay’s economy, the importance of our tourism sector can’t be overstated. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“This is why we work so closely alongside Swansea Bay’s tourism businesses to continually improve the visitor offer that’s available in the area, in addition to finding new and innovative ways to keep on raising the destination’s profile. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Our Visit Swansea Bay destination brand has grown from strength to strength, so we’re delighted by the way that this is both supported by and supports the tourism sector locally. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The equivalent advertising value of the online and offline publicity sparked by the visits of journalists and bloggers is testament to the hard work of our tourism team, supported by our marketing partners. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“It’s another example of Swansea Bay staying ahead of the game in a very competitive industry, helping further boost a sector that supports thousands of jobs in the area.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Dennis Cann, Café Twocann owner, said: “We have been working with Visit Swansea Bay for a few years now to welcome journalists, bloggers and vloggers to the area. We have hosted several journalists from all over the UK, doing our bit to show what Swansea has to offer. It has been a pleasure to work with the team and to see the great reviews we have received from our visitors. It has helped us promote the cafe and restaurant, as well as all of our menus. We look forward to working with Visit Swansea Bay more in 2017.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Mark Gallagher, General Manager at Morgans Hotel, said: “Here at Morgans, we see a huge benefit in welcoming and playing host to a number of journalists. The online boost through social media is extremely valuable, with a further boost in followers on Twitter and likes on Facebook following their stays. It’s also great to see the marketing campaigns and blogs that we feature in.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​