FAQ’s about the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme

1. I already have qualifications (e.g. Mountain Bike Leader, Paddlesport Leader etc.) and I'm insured so why do I need to engage with a Technical Consultant?

The scheme welcomes the fact that you have qualifications / competencies and insurance but neither of these provides us with pertinent information about you and/or your business i.e. its management, operating systems and personnel and whether they are appropriate to the scale and nature of adventurous provision and its intended target audience. Engagement with one of our nominated Technical Consultants will provide confirmation that adventure activity sector ‘good practice’ is being demonstrated by you and/or your business and in doing so, provide us all with the confidence that risk managed, high quality adventure activity and outdoor recreation provision is available across Wales and allows us all to recognise all adventure activity and outdoor recreation providers like yourselves meet our expectations in terms of:

Sustainable adventure and outdoor recreation activity tourism
Good practice and standards of customer care

2. None of the Technical Consultants specialise in my activity - what do I do?

Whilst the Visit Wales nominated Technical Consultants may not be a specialist on all of the activities they come across during their consultations, you can be assured that they have an understanding of the processes involved in the assurance scheme, particularly in relation to legislation, scheme specific criteria and industry standards of ‘good practice’ and can apply them to all activities that fall within the WATO listed activities. They have been nominated by us for their:

Proven level of technical competence within the adventure activity sector
Good knowledge of the environment(s) in which adventure activities are undertaken
Access to, knowledge and understanding of the management of adventure activities
Maturity to make suitably and sound judgments

3. How much does it cost?

If you and/or your business are currently accredited/assured by one of the UK’s adventure activity accreditation/assurance schemes , you are eligible to follow Route One i.e. complete the Self-certification form and submit it together with emailing evidence of your current accredited/assured status. There is no cost to this.
If you and/or your business is currently accredited/assured by one of the numerous National Governing Body (NGB) or Awarding Body (AB) Accreditation schemes, you will also be able to follow Route One i.e. complete the Self-certification form and submit it together with emailing evidence of your current accredited/assured status, although if your provision is beyond the scope of the NGB/AB accreditation, you will either need to refer to one of the four listed UK accreditation schemes above or follow Route Two.
If you and/or your business are not currently accredited/assured, you will need to follow Route Two (see Flow Chart for details). Route Two involves engaging with one of our seven active and current Technical Consultants who will carry out a consultation, in line with the Visit Wales Standards of Practice and submit a report, as required by us. The cost of engaging with a Technical Consultant is £275 plus expenses, paid directly to the Technical Consultant.
If you are a Sole Trader offering activities pertaining to Mountain Training Qualifications only, you may be eligible follow Route Three (see Flow Chart for details). If you meet the requirements, complete and submit the Application Form together with the signed Self-Declaration. There is no cost to this.

4. What do I get for this?

The benefits are dependent on which route you take to becoming assured with our scheme.
Route One benefits include:

A listing on the Visit Wales website for a period of 3 years, after which you will be required to renew the process
Business visibility - to highlight the expectations of sustainable adventure activity tourism and the outdoor sector ‘good practice’ requirements
Consumer confidence - assurance and demonstration of good standards of customer care

Route Two benefits are in addition to Route One benefits and include:

A meaningful consultation with a Visit Wales nominated Technical Consultant
A report that highlights your business strengths as well as opportunities for business developments
Confirmation of how your provision relates to adventure activity sector ‘good practice’
Top tips and handy hints
Access to sound up-to-date advice and guidance relating to your business and sector ‘good practice’
Signposting to further business advice and support

Route Three benefits include:

A listing on the Visit Wales website for a period of 3 years, after which you will need to renew the process
Business visibility - to highlight the expectations of sustainable adventure activity tourism, and the outdoor sector ‘good practice’ requirements to those who purchase services or use outdoor practitioners
Consumer confidence - assurance and demonstration of good standards of customer care

5. How long will it take for me to get assured?

If you and/or your business are currently accredited by one of the UK’s adventure activity accreditation schemes or by one of the numerous National Governing Body (NGB ) or Awarding Body (AB) Accreditation schemes, completion of the Self-certification form should take you around 15 minutes. Once your application has been approved and processed, we will send it to our data Stewards who will be in touch to provide you with login details for you to upload your details into the Visit Wales web listing.

If you and/or your business are not currently accredited with one of the schemes mentioned above, you will need to follow Route Two. Route Two involves engaging with one of our seven active and current Technical Consultants who will carry out a consultation, in line with the Visit Wales Standards of Practice and submit a report, as required by us. This requires an agreed date and time for a visit to take place but once the visit is completed and the report has been submitted to us via our Senior Technical Consultant, we will approve and process it before sending it to our Data Stewards who will be in touch to provide you with login details for you to upload your details into the Visit Wales web listing. This process is therefore dependent on agreeing suitable diary time for both yourselves and the Technical Consultant.

6. What do I need to do to prepare for assurance?

Route One will require you to just complete the Self-certification form, providing us with the following information which we hope you will have to hand, so no real preparation required:

Contact Details
Who you provide activities to?
What language(s) you are able to provide activities in?
Your public liability insurance status
Evidence of your current accreditation/assurance status
The activities you provide

The Route Two process will start with a conversation with one of our Technical Consultants who will outline what is involved in the consultation and the standards of practice they will work to throughout the consultation process. It is likely that you may need to prepare for the visit to ensure all relevant documentation / evidence is to hand, remembering that this is a consultation relating to your current practices. On successful completion of your consultation, you will be expected to complete the Self-certification form, providing us with the information highlighted above in Route One.

7. I can't see my activity/activities listed - do I need assurance?

Whilst we hope that we have not excluded any adventure activities, in accordance with the WATO definition and activity listings, it is possible. If you and/or your business identify the activities you provide as adventure activities in accordance with the WATO definition but they are not listed, please contact us via this email (quality.tourism@gov.wales) and someone will be in touch with you to discuss it further.

8. I'm not sure if I need assurance, what should I do?

Our Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme web pages provide detailed information about the scheme which should hopefully provide you with the relevant information to determine if you need to be assured or not. In addition to the information on the Home page for the assurance scheme it would be worthwhile clicking on the various links to gather as much information as you can to be able to make an informed decision. Should you require further information, contact us via: quality.tourism@gov.wales

9. I own a bike hire business but sub-contract the guiding element to a third party - who needs to be assured if I want a listing on the website?

Our assurance scheme is for businesses that specifically provide ‘guided’ adventure activities. As you sub-contract your guided services, unfortunately your business will not be able to benefit from a listing as an adventure activity provider. Where provision of services is sub-contracted, it will be the third party that will need to be assured to be listed on visitwales.com since they are the adventure activity provider. It is however possible to be listed as a bike hire business as long as there is clarity to all parties (including customers) in terms of where the division of responsibility lies for any ‘guided’ adventure activities, which is in line with outdoor sector ‘good practice’.

10. We don't offer any guided services for our mountain bike routes but have a link on our website to other providers - do I need assurance if I want a listing on the website?

Our assurance scheme is for businesses that specifically provide ‘guided services’. As you don’t provide guided services, unfortunately your business will not be able to benefit from a listing as an adventure activity provider. It is however possible to be listed as a mountain biking venue business as long as there is clarity to all parties (including customers) in terms of where the division of responsibility lies for any ‘guided services’, which is in line with outdoor sector ‘good practice’.

11. Who do I need to speak to about my listing on the visitwales.com website?

The content of your listing on visitwales.com is your responsibility. It is therefore important that it is kept up to date. Should you wish to update and/or amend it, please contact our Data Stewards via email (vw-steward@nvg.net) and they will be able to provide you with login details for you to make the necessary changes / additions etc.

12. I can't find what I'm looking for, who can I contact for further information?

Should you require any further information just send an email to: quality.tourism@gov.wales and someone will get back in touch with you.

13. I have previously been accredited but now offer additional activities, what do I need to do?

If you and/or your business are currently not accredited/assured you will need to follow Route Two. (see Flow Chart for details). Route Two involves engaging with one of our seven active and current Technical Consultants who will carry out a consultation, inline with the Visit Wales Standards of Practice and submit a report, as required by us. The cost of engaging with one of our nominated Technical Consultants is £275 plus expenses, paid directly to the Technical Consultant.

If you and/or your business are currently accredited by one of the UK’s adventure activity accreditation schemes, you are eligible to follow Route One i.e. complete the Self-certification form and submit it together with emailing evidence of your current accredited status.
There is no cost to this.

If you and/or your business are currently listed on visitwales.com following a consultation from one of the Visit Wales nominated Technical Consultants and you are wanting to provide additional activities we ask that you forward all the relevant documentation (assessments of risk, operational procedures, staff competencies etc.) to us for our Senior Technical Consultant to verify. Once verified, we would be happy for you to add the additional activities to your visitwales.com website listing.

14. I'm a tour guide and include guided walks as part of my packages, do I need to be assured?

Guided walking, for the purposes of the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme covers Coastal Walking (excluding urban areas), Lowland & Moorland Walking and Hill & Mountain Walking in environments as determined by Mountain Training’s definitions for the Lowland Leader Award. If your guided walking offer falls within the scope of these definitions, assurance will be required. Route Three of the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme is likely to be the best option for you as long as you meet the requirements.

15. I provide motorsport activities, am I able to be assured via your adventure activity assurance scheme?

Our assurance scheme is for businesses that specifically provide ‘guided’ adventure activities as defined by the Wales Adventure Tourism Organisation (WATO), which excludes any petrol sports. The WATO definition: “Adventure is where the focus is on engaging with the natural environment in a physically challenging manner where skill and an element of risk are central to the experience and the participant seeks to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the natural environment in a peaceful manner.” Good practice would suggest having a related accreditation/assurance for your business since this would provide additional reassurances to the customer.

16. I offer a number of outdoor photography workshops, many of which are within 30 minutes travelling time of the vehicle whilst some venture more than 30 minutes from the vehicle and into lowland and moorland environments. Can my business be listed on the Visit Wales website just for those workshops within 30 minutes travelling time?

As some of your photography workshops venture into lowland and moorland environments regardless of whether they are within or beyond 30 minutes travelling time, your offer falls within the criteria of guided walking so you will need to go through the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme.

Guided walking, for the purposes of the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme covers Coastal Walking (excluding urban areas), Lowland & Moorland Walking and Hill & Mountain Walking in environments as determined by Mountain Training’s definition for the Lowland Leader Award. Route Three of the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme is likely to be the best option for you as long as you meet the requirements.

17. I am self-employed and hold a Mountain Training (MT) Climbing Wall Instructor (CWI) qualification. Am I eligible to apply to be listed on the Visit Wales website?

Yes you are, as long as you:

are a full member of the Mountain Training Association (MTA)
hold appropriate professional indemnity, public & product liability insurance
provide evidence that your recognised CPD credits are current
complete a Route 3 form and submit together with a signed self-declaration.

18. I am a sole trader and hold a Mountain Training (MT) Mountain Climbing Instructor (MCI) qualification. I live in the Lake District but I spend c.50% of my time in Wales instructing mountain climbing activities. Am I eligible to apply to be listed on the Visit Wales website?

Yes you are, as long as you:

are a full member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI)
hold appropriate professional indemnity, public & product liability insurance
provide evidence that your recognised number of CPD points are current
complete a Route 3 form and submit together with a signed self-declaration.

19. I am self-employed and hold a Mountain Training (MT) Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI) qualification. I sometimes get asked to provide multi-pitch climbing activities (for which I’m not qualified) alongside single pitch climbing activities. As a Visit Wales listed Climbing Professional via Route Three, am I able to sub-contract services to a third party?

Yes you are, as long as you ensure:

a clear division of responsibility is in place between you and the third-party sub-contractor, which is communicated to all clients and;
the third-party sub-contractor is a Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme (VW AAAS) assured provider for multi-pitch climbing activities.

20. I am self-employed, a member of MTA with current CPD credits relating to my Mountain Leader qualification and the relevant insurance requirements. In addition to offering guided walking activities, I also offer coasteering and SUP activities. Am I eligible to apply to be listed on the Visit Wales website?
Whilst you are a Sole Trader, a member of MTA with current CPD credits and hold appropriate insurance, the additional activities of Coasteering and SUP are beyond the scope of activities covered by your Mountain Leader qualification. Unfortunately, you are therefore not eligible to apply to Route 3 of the Visit Wales Scheme Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme. Should you wish to be listed on the Visit Wales website there are two alternative routes available (Route 1 & 2) to you which can be found here: Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme.

21. I am a Sole Trader and hold a Mountain Training (MT) Hill & Moorland Leader (HML) qualification. There are occasions when the size of a booking requires me to contract a freelance instructor/leader to support the delivery of the walking activities. As a Route 3 Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assured business am I able to contract in a freelance instructor/leader to support the delivery of services?

Yes, as long as they are also a registered Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assured sole-trader / business.

22. I am a member of the Wales Official Tour Guides Association (WOTGA) and offer tours that venture into low level countryside and woodland, including the Wales Coast Path. Does my WOTGA qualification enable me to apply through Route 3 of the Visit Wales Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme?

No. If your tours venture into environments as defined by Mountain Trainings’ Lowland Leader qualification (see below) you will firstly need to attain this level of competence.

Mountain Training Terrain Definition:
Low level countryside and woodland in the UK and Ireland meeting the following criteria:

Walks must follow paths or tracks that are both marked on a map and clearly visible on the ground and that do not require navigation across untracked areas.
Throughout the walk the group should generally be no more than 3km away from a key access point such as a car park, lay-by or populated area.
Walks must use bridges or other recognised water crossing points.
Any potential escape routes should also lie within the scope of the defined terrain for the Lowland Leader qualification.

Once you have attained the minimum level of competence (Mountain Training Lowland Leader), you will need to:

become a full member of the Mountain Training Association (MTA)
hold appropriate professional indemnity, public & product liability insurance
provide evidence that your recognised number of CPD points are current
Complete a Route 3 application and submit the self-declaration

23. I offer a number of adventure activities and would like to be listed on the Visit Wales website. I see that there are a few possible routes for me. Can you explain the difference between them please?

There are three possible routes:

Route One: Visit Wales (Recognised UK Accreditation) Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme;
Route Two: Visit Wales (WATO) Adventure Activity Assurance Scheme and;
Route Three: Visit Wales (WATO & MTA) Assurance Scheme (for Walking, Climbing & Mountaineering Professionals).

Information for all three routes can be found here.