By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ About 30,000 Canadians a year visit Wales, or 2% of those who travel into the UK overall – numbers that are sure to rise with the launch of new Toronto-Cardiff flights this summer by WestJet (already renewed for 2027). Nevertheless, most UK travel trade observers in Canada agree that limited output could – and should – grow.
So, why Wales?
“You’ve got the Four Nations of the United Kingdom and Wales is often the forgotten cousin that a lot of people don’t understand has this rich, unique culture, and its own language, which is alive and well even after centuries of attempts to squash it,” says Anna Fawcett, GM of global sales for Blue-Roads Touring, which recently hosted a group of travel agents in the country with Canadian partner, Burlington, Ont.-based DHTour (along with Visit Wales and Visit Britain).
“And what comes with that,” she observes, “is this additionally unique understanding of the history and culture of the Four Nations in the UK – and that history really completes the tapestry of the understanding of the culture of Britain entirely because it is so unique, and it is so different, with its quarks, and it’s a lovely way to round off the full Britain experience.
“I think alongside of that that you do see differences in the culture. The castles are famous, but while there are castles in Britain, the majority are in Wales – there are 625 in Wales. You could be in the rolling countryside or go to Snowdonia, which you might liken to Scotland, but fundamentally different. I think the legends and the myths and the rich storytelling, that’s why Wales is quite special.”
Undiscovered gem
Anita Gray of Bliss Travels agrees that the destination is not “super well known,” amongst Canadians, and adds, “People should check it out, it’s a hidden gem.”
The London, Ont., advisor believes Wales deserves seven to 10 days in order to fully discover the wide range of activities and cultural opportunities, plus people who are “kind, considerate, and willing to talk.”
Another FAM participant, Ruth McCrae of Worldwide Eco Tours in Calgary, adds, “The history will always be there (but) it’s the people I remember. (The Welsh) are warm and like to laugh. People make a country and they make or break a visit.”
Standalone or combo?
Most Canadians visit Wales in combination with a broader UK itinerary, with FAM co-host Karen Burwood of DHTour noting that Wales is “still not known as a country on its own” and that most visitors will merely add a couple of nights in Cardiff or Chester (in England, on the border) to their tour.
“And if they do go to Wales,” she adds, “they go to the South and not the North” – the latter renowned for its rugged mountains, scenic coastline, impressive castles, and Snowdonia National Park (home to the second highest mountain in the UK).
The North also ‘feels’ more Welsh, not least because 65% of the inhabitants speak the revived and growing Welsh language (one of Europe’s oldest living tongues) while the South from Cardiff to impossibly scenic Pembrokeshire is dubbed “Little England.”
Together, the North and South, and equally compelling mid Wales, definitely add up to a destination that can stand alone, not merely as a tag-on, says Vicki Morrison of Ellison Travel and Tours in Exeter, Ont., who adds, “There is so much to see and do.”
How to do Wales
Blue-Roads’ Fawcett maintains that the company’s 18-seat luxury mini coaches (photo above) are the ideal way to discover “the wonder of Wales” (not surprisingly the name of its eight-day tour offered in Canada through DHTour).
“The beauty of small group touring in a luxury mini coach is large coaches just aren’t going to get down those little country lanes and coastal highways and into those medieval villages,” she points out, while those in large coaches are also likely to wind up in large, generic hotels, not the small, intimate family-run establishments in small villages that are accessible to smaller vehicles.
Of course, there’s also self-drive, but Burwood says, “I feel that someone who rents a car will not be going to the smaller places. They’ll go to the main things and won’t do the real, true back roads of Wales.”
Canadians will also have to contend with driving on the left and on the “wrong” side of the car, with Fawcett observing, “When you think about self-drive, some of the roads are very stressful, coming down these country lanes where you can’t see over the hedge line and you have cars coming towards you the same way.”
Tammy McIntyre-Steeves of Travel Your Way in Rockwood, Ont. says she has driven in Wales, and cautions, “If you’re not comfortable driving, travelling by motor coach is a better option. If you’re a driver, you’re worried about not seeing the scenery and you don’t have background from the guide. You might just drive on by an interesting sight.”
And don’t forget the people factor, concludes Fawcett. “As well as having a more intimate setting, you can get to know your group of travellers. You’re always going to find something that you would never see on a map – and still have enough time to have your own discoveries too.”
The WestJet factor
Having direct service from Toronto to Cardiff will definitely help entice more Canadians to go directly to Wales and avoid transiting through London, says Davis Gisold of Royal City Travel in Guelph, Ont., while McCrae says people from the West will appreciate the opportunity too, even it mean connecting through YYZ.
Intangibles
McCrae points out that she can see Wales benefiting from Canadians’ desires to experience new places and especially steer clear of overcrowded destinations like Barcelona, while Gray touts the “slow travel” vibe of a place that is “more quaint, more small town, and down to earth, yet still offers plenty of culture and active options like walking, hiking, and surfing.”
Ritushri Dhankher, National Travel Trade & Aviation Manager – Canada for Visit Britain observes, “The first-time traveller is not necessarily fully equipped with all they need to know about Wales. But having said that, we have seen over the years that the Canadian traveller is more and more into experiential and immersive travel, as well as the leisure of time and discovering the places they want to explore within the UK.
“So, Wales needs more awareness and that is why this WestJet Cardiff flight is so perfect. It gives us the opportunity to reiterate this beautiful destination, which is so easily accessible, not just from London, but now all you have to do is come into Cardiff and come into this region.”
Stephen Nase, Director of Marketing, North America for Visit Wales in New York reminds that Wales boasts a robust diaspora, particularly in Canada, as well as wider UK legacy of ex-pats who have never been to Wales or went on holidays as kids and yearn to return.
Welcome to Wrexham
And then there’s Wrexham – the Cinderella story of a rising Welsh football team under the co-ownership of Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, which has been chronicled in the “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary show, helping turn the club into a global phenomenon, and attracting fans from around the world to the North Wales town.
“They are a great extra arm of our tourism board,” Clare Dwight, Senior Tourism Marketing Manager of Cymru Wales, told Travel Industry Today, while Nase noted that the team recently played an exhibition game in New York against Liverpool and drew 42,000 fans, laughing, “We’re calling (Wrexham) the gateway to Wales!”
But no matter how or why they got there, or chose to discover the country, seeing is believing, concluded Nase. “We identified years ago that the differentiator for selling Wales was when people came!”
WALES CLOSE-UP
Located to the west of England, tiny Wales packs in a lot, including 12 great little steam trains, four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, award-winning sandy beaches along with lots of colourful market towns, and Cardiff, the vibrant capital city. Here are 10 terrific ways to visit Wales:
- Visit one of over 600 castles, four have UNESCO World Heritage Status and the tower at Caerphilly out leans the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
- Put on your walking boots to discover 32,998 km of walking paths including three National Trails and the Wales Coast Path.
- The National Museum Cardiff houses the best collection of impressionist paintings outside Paris – and it’s free to visit too! There are six other National Museums of Wales as well as over 90 accredited museums and galleries around Wales to explore.
- Visit Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. It’s a compact city and easy to get around with plenty to see and do including Cardiff Castle, National Museum Cardiff, the Principality Stadium (the home of Welsh rugby) and the waterside developments in Cardiff Bay.
- Take a journey along The Wales Way, a family of three touring routes, each one unique and passing through spectacular scenery.
- Three national parks celebrate three different landscapes. The rocky mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) that contrast with the greener mountains and waterfalls of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) as well as the rugged Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Wales also has five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- Where better to try coasteering than the country it was created in. Get in a wet suit, clamber over and up onto the rocks of the shoreline, only to jump off them into the sea. Professionally supervised that is.
- Meet food and drink producers. Learn to cook and taste a Welsh cake or enjoy Welsh national dishes including Welsh rarebit, salt marsh lamb or Welsh black beef dishes. Taste award-winning whiskies, gins, wine, beers and chocolate.
- Enjoy experiences that are beyond ordinary. Take a dip in the wild seaweed baths at Halen Mons in Anglesey, relax by the coast at one of Wales incredible beach saunas or get some rest at Deep Sleep, the deepest underground accommodation in the world, situated 420 metres deep. More on unique experiences.
- Wales is one of the top destinations in the world for stargazing. It has three protected International Dark Sky Places including the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Eryri National Park and Elan Valley Estate, and Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island) was the first site in Europe to be awarded International Dark Sky Sanctuary certification. Discover the best stargazing experiences Wales has to offer.
For more information, the travel trade is invited to visit https://traveltrade.visitwales.com/.
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https://travelindustrytoday.com/canadian-agents-discover-the-wonder-of-wales/
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