Year of Croeso: the latest news - June 2025

Summer is nearly here, and we want to make sure people are thinking about visiting Wales. We are running lots of campaigns and promotional activities to help people book last-minute holidays in Wales and to get people from other countries to visit Wales.

We have started the second part of our “Hwyl” campaign. This means we are sharing exciting things about Wales online, in search results, and in the news. This time, we are focusing on the following target audiences:

• people who love culture,
• families looking for fun,
• those who enjoy the outdoors.

Knowing your audience is key, read our information on understanding our target audience.

As well as our main Hwyl campaign, we are running Wales by Tails - a fun campaign for couples and families with dogs. It shows that Wales is a great place for dog-friendly holidays all year round.

More people want to go on holiday with their dogs, and we’re using this chance to show that Wales is a great place for dog-friendly trips.

What we’re up to:

• TV advert - the advert is on TV (ITVX) and online in May and June. It’s made to catch the attention of both dogs and their owners, using bright blue and yellow colours and fun sounds like panting, whistling, barking, and jingling keys.
• Sharing messages - encouraging people be good dog owners. We are reminding them to follow countryside rules and act responsible, ensuring dogs are kept on a lead in agricultural settings.

If you offer pet-friendly experiences and are part of our Visit Wales grading scheme, you can get a free Welcome Award.

Season 4 of Welcome to Wrexham started on 16 May, and we are we’re pleased to be partnering with Disney to promote Wales, with ad placements and programme sponsorship targeting viewers in the UK. Visit Wales was one of the first travel brands to advertise on Disney + and this additional sponsorship opportunity aligns perfectly with the Cymru Wales brand enabling us to further promote Wales and reach new audiences. 

Season 4 of Welcome to Wrexham started in mid-May. Lots of fans in the US love the show, to capitalise on the enthusiasm we are running a targeted campaign on Reddit to show off Wrexham and nearby places as great spots to visit in Wales.

What we’re up to:

• Short video - the campaign will feature a short video showcasing Wrexham and nearby attractions.
• Special webpage - including a travel plan to help visitors get ideas for their trip. 
• Sharing stories in the US to get more people excited about visiting Wales.
• Working with Wrexham AFC - to help even more people learn about Wales. This summer, the team is going on a tour in Australia and New Zealand, and will be sharing the fun and friendly spirit of Wrexham and Wales with fans there.

Our Expedia campaign started in April and will run until November. It is made for people in the US and Germany who might want to visit Wales. The main message continues to be Feel the Hwyl — which means the fun, warm feeling you get in Wales! The campaign includes banner ads on the Expedia website and posts on social media, we are seeing positive results so far and the campaign will move into the next conversion phase in next few weeks.

We work very closely with VisitBritain to ensure that Wales is featured prominently within the latest campaign to launch which is Starring Great Britain.  House of the Dragon features within the main hero film and extra footage promoting the beaches of Wales was filmed by VisitBritian in North Wales last year. 

Find out more on how to get involved in the 'Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign.

The Hwyl digital campaign started in Germany on 6 May. It is made to target three types of audiences:

• those who love the outdoors,
• families, 
• people who enjoy city trips with culture.

What we’re up to:

• a main video to show off Wales,
• campaign to get more people to like our page,
• special ads on Facebook to help people sign up for more info,
• picture and video ads on Facebook and Pinterest,
• fun stories on Facebook and Instagram.

This first part of the campaign will run until 30 June.

We are working with four big travel companies in Germany from May to July 2025 to help more people learn about Wales. 

What we’re up to:

• DERTOUR – We’re sharing photos and stories on Instagram, in their newsletter, and on a special website called ‘ComeCloser’ that travel agents in Germany use.
• Gebeco – We’re putting stories about Wales on their website, Gebeco.de, in two newsletters for customers and two for travel businesses. We’re also running ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
• Wolters Rundreisen – We’re having a special “Wales Week” on social media, with a prize competition and ads on Instagram, Google, YouTube, and more. We’re also sharing Wales news in newsletters and on their website.
• Travelling Britain – We’re sending out a Wales-only newsletter, putting Wales on their homepage, and posting about it on social media. 

In 2025 and 2026, we are focusing our media visits on promoting the Year of Croeso.

What we’re up to:

• Journalists and Influencers - we are inviting over 100 UK travel writers and influencers to visit Wales and share their stories. We want them to experience the unique feeling of hwyl – a deep state of joy and enthusiasm that comes from being fully engaged in the moment. From our beaches and mountains to festivals and warm Welsh welcomes, we will show them what makes Wales special and secure great PR coverage.
• International groups - we are inviting groups of journalists from other countries to visit Wales. We run about ten group trips each year and many more trips for individual visitors. These trips help show off the best parts of Wales to people from around the world.

Take a look at some recent media coverage in the UK: 

The best beaches in Wales: 16 spectacular spots

A good walk: Mynydd Garthmyn and Capel Garmon, Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park

The South Wales mining village that made Richard Burton a global icon.

We host a variety of press trips all year round, often working with VisitBritain.

Themes for these trips this year include:

• Luxury
• Golf
• Literature 
• Sustainability
• Health and wellbeing 
• Food and drink 
• TV and film locations
• Dog friendly