Tourism

Tourism is a vital component within the economic sustainability of the Cambrian Mountains and the necklace of settlements that surround our rugged uplands. The Initiative recognises the need to grow awareness of the Cambrians as a place to visit so that the volume and value of tourism to the local economy can increase and help sustain our local way of life. But whilst raising the profile of the area and encouraging more people to visit, we must be careful not to change the character of our towns and villages, or impact in such a way as to damage or spoil the wonderful environment that makes our landscape such a special place to visit in the first place.

The Initiative therefore seeks to strike a balance in its work. On the one hand it encourages local tourism providers to operate to a high standard, promoting environmental awareness and the use of local produce wherever possible; on the other it seeks to engage with visitors to help look after the natural environment that inspires their visits by donating to a ‘pay back’ scheme that raises money for environmental protection and community development work around the Cambrians.

Brand Recognition

There is no denying that the Cambrian Mountains region is less well known than its immediate neighbours, Snowdonia to the north and the Brecon Beacons to the south. This can be both a drawback and a benefit. National Park status has put our neighbours on the map and visitors flock to them without realising the quality of the scenery and the warmth of the visitor experience in the Cambrians. It is our aim to raise the awareness of the Cambrian Mountains as a brand; a brand that signifies space and room to breath (free of the congested walking conditions experienced in the National Parks), quality (of landscape, welcome and local produce) and of sustainability (ensuring that tourism activity does not impact adversely on the environment of the mountains or local life).

By encouraging our local tourism trade to work together to raise their game and market themselves under a Cambrian Mountains banner, we are confident we can generate increased visitor footfall in the region. And once our area becomes known, the qualities of our landscape and that warmth of welcome will continue to inspire return visits, time and time again.

Encouraging quality

Quality counts. As with the Initiatives work in developing premium local produce, we would like to see the tourism trade in the Cambrian Mountains operating to a uniform high standard, giving visitors the quality assurance they need and a service to match the quality of the natural environment that inspires their visit.

We aim to encourage all accommodation and activity providers to sign up to a quality accreditation scheme. Further, we want to see as much locally produced food on menus as possible, be this at our restaurants, in cafes and pubs, or on the breakfast table of our B&B’s.

And along with quality of service, we aim to encourage environmental awareness and best practice amongst our tourism businesses, by encouraging them to sign up to environmental certification, such as the Green Tourism Business Scheme.