Visit Wales past themed year campaigns

2020 was our invitation to visitors and residents of Wales to celebrate the greatest outdoors. We asked people to

• to check in to our hotels; our campsites and our cottages. 
• to open their door and discover attractions, activities, landscapes and coastlines they hadn’t yet experienced. 

We encouraged visits to different corners of the country throughout the year; as feeling good has no season. 

Campaign ethos and messaging

The overarching concept for the Year of Outdoors campaign positioned Wales as a country that offers a “welcome without walls”. The Greatest Outdoors. 

The heart of the campaign aimed to express the real Wales.  Not only the tourism product but the welcome and feeling of community, linking the outdoors to health and wellbeing. Cultural events were also be a large part of this year’s campaign.

This is Wales. Check in… was used as a call to action, inspiring people to “check in to the real Wales”. ‘Check in’ offered endless possibilities for digital usage – people checking in to accommodation, products, activities and landscapes whilst they are in Wales.

The themed year launched on 1 January, showcasing the new ad on TV and Video on Demand. 
 

Year of Outdoors Industry Guide. 

During the Year of Discovery 2019 we invited visitors to explore what makes us “uniquely Wales”: the things you won’t find anywhere else in the world. During 2019 the focus was on -

• exploring the three core themes leading up to 2019 – Year of Adventure, Year of Legends and Year of the Sea – focusing on our core strengths: adventure, culture and landscape
• bringing the themes together; to build multi-layered views of Wales, where these strengths coexist; and where – in places such as North Wales with its world-first adventure, World Heritage culture and outstanding natural landscape – these combine to make up our country’s unique message to the world.

Creating distinctive, memorable experiences in each of our core strengths was at the heart of what we strived to achieve, alongside the fundamentals of food, drink and great hospitality.

Year of Discovery Industry Guide.

Year of the Sea 2018 celebrated Wales’ outstanding coastline.  We invited visitors to discover new epic experiences all around our shores.

The message for the year was “Our Epic Shores” giving us the opportunity to include inland lakes and broad rivers in our campaigns. 

Throughout the year we celebrated our outstanding coastal product which included special events, activities and attractions. Events including the Volvo Ocean Race saw us as work with organisations, such as the RNLI and Keep Wales Tidy, to deliver a message of responsible tourism throughout.

Year of the Sea Industry Guide.

Year of Legends 2017 was a chance to showcase Wales’ rich culture, heritage and landscapes. 

It was an opportunity to 

• celebrate a wealth of sporting and cultural events and icons, 
• stand apart from our competitors

And it was about creating and celebrating new Welsh legends — modern-day personalities, products and events - that are made in Wales, or enriched by coming here.

Year of the Legends Industry Guide. 

Visit Wales’ 2017 campaign film for Year of Legends.

Year of Adventure 2016 built on the recognition of media such as the Lonely Planet Guide, which, in 2016, stated,

“…there’s no better time to explore one of the finest natural playgrounds in Europe”.

From mountain biking to coasteering, ziplining to surfing…the year celebrated our outstanding adventure product.

Year of Adventure Industry Guide [PDF]