Attendees:
Nicola (Punch) Maughan (Director General), Elizabeth Jefferys (Chair), Catherine Maggs (Treasurer), Idris Jones (Pen-y-Dre Farm), Sue Collins (Ty Gwyn B&B), Peter Williams and Alison Kidd (The Prospectory), Mark Lloyd & Nicola Smith (Monmouthshire County Council), Mark Soanes (Call of the Wild), Andrew Fryer (Wern Watkin), Susie Suter (Gliffaes), Bill Richards (TRAM), Susan Walker (Monmouthshire Walking Festival), Michael Cunningham (Erwood Station Craft Centre), Gary Evans (Hawk Associates & SWOAPG), Frank Marr (Marr Associates), Peter Cole (CRT), Helen Jones (TPMW), Jenny Taylor (Abergavenny & District Tourism Assoc.), Liz Mathews (Aberhyddnant), Alistair Kirk (Craig-y-Nos), Laura Miles (Felin Fach Griffin), Clare Wright (the School Annex), Maggie Hinde (Sleeping Giant Cottage), Ceri James & Caroline James (Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottage), Sharon Birch (Glasbury House OEC), Hilary Lipscombe (Old Rectory Barn), Jeff Calligan (Mountain & River Activities)

Apologies: James Hitchings, Geoffrey Marshall, Fiona Walker, Rose VR, Martin Smith, Colin Evans, Becca, Martin Flemming, Mary Adams, Ryan Thomas
Agenda Points

Welcome & Sense of Monmouthshire Toolkit
Elizabeth welcomed everyone to St Mary’s and handed over to Sandy Greenslade from Adventa to introduce the newly updated “Sense of Monmouthshire” toolkit. This toolkit it has been updated from a 1995 version and will be available to download from their website to help businesses develop their sense of place. It includes a self-audit section.

The toolkit includes several themes including people, Welsh language, food and drink amongst others. It also acts as a portal to a range of other websites and information sources which can help access Monmouthshire specific information. It will be available to tourism businesses via the Made in Monmouthshire website as a members log-in. Training is available for businesses either to individual business or as a workshop event. The team are looking for feedback on what format would best suit businesses and whether training is likely to be needed to launch the project – any comments to be sent to sandy@adventa.org.uk

BBT Update
Punch reported on the BBTs current work
• Still maintaining a good website presence. Dutch and Belgian visitors to the site have increased

• BBT monthly leaflet drops continue; businesses can use this to distribute their marketing leaflets. New rates on application. There is also a new independent service delivering leaflets into the Wye valley & Forest of Dean www.tourismleafletdistribution.co.uk

• The Brecon Beacons Marketing Communication Group (BBMCG) has been grappling with the long term implications of the destination work. The BBNPA visitor information will now be held on a separate visitor website to the main authority website.

• The Brecon Beacons Travel Challenge is active and anyone can take part in the challenge this summer. www.travelbreconbeacons.info/events-and-special-offers

• Rural Develop Grants are available to tourism businesses in Powys under the project Sustainable Tourism Powys:
1. Business Development – intervention rate 70% up to £2,500
2. Sense of place – intervention rate 70% up to£5000
3. Activity & wildlife tourism – intervention rate 70% up to £10,000
4. GTBS – intervention rate 50% up to £5000
Contact – tourism.trade@powys.gov.uk
• In Monmouthshire there is support as well as grants available – contact rdp@monmouthshire.gov.uk

• Regional Centre Services (formally Flexible Support for Business) are offering a range of support sessions offering Equality & Diversity Health Checks – businesses need to have these in order to access RDP funds. Tel No: 03000 6 03000

Media & PR Update
Frank Marr introduced the work that Alexandra Marr & Associates have been doing for the BBMCG. They are constantly promoting stories and offers about the area to the media and need stories, quirky tales and offers to continue to be sent. As much as possible is also used on the various social media channels. Contributors to the blog are welcome and comments / likes on the facebook page all help:

http://breconbeacons.wordpress.com http://www.facebook.com/thebreconbeacons

A Youtube channel is in development and businesses who have videos of their businesses should send in their links.

There are various opportunities for press visits in the autumn from British and Dutch journalists – anyone prepared to host a journalist in their accommodation or offer an activity should also make contact

All contact to breconnews@gmail.com

Update from Abergavenny & District Tourism Association

Carol Williams spoke on behalf of Abergavenny & District Tourism Association (ADTA) on their recent work. The new Abergavenny Trails and Tales leaflet has been produced, which includes a historical walk around the town. A number of Abergavenny focussed itineraries have been created on a PDF but hopefully will be on downloadable web pages shortly. E-mail Carol for the itineraries. Carol.Williams@breconbeacons.org

The South Wales Outdoor Activity Provider’s Group Coordinator

SWOAPG receives funding from Collabor8, BBT, Visit Wales and provides:
• Info on the activity providers and provision in the BBNP
• A place where concerns can be raised
• A route to signing the FCW concordat
• A point of focus for the sector
• Bring people together and encourage best practice
• A hub for training
• A means of flagging up access issues
• A strong voice representing activity providers
• Supporting members

Activity providers can join the group and receive different levels of communication.

Gary updated the meeting on the current work of the SWOAPG and there have been 3 full meetings since the group’s inception. There is a steering group made up of 11 members, which makes the decisions for the group in between the twice yearly full meetings.

The group is involved in all of the relevant groups in the area, including BBT. They are also undergoing a number of surveys looking at access and usage of specific areas in the national park. Surprisingly there are a few activities which can only be done at very few sites, forcing these sites to be over used. The group aims to manage this level of usage.

Currently they are looking at introducing a late and small group bookings scheme.

From mid July onwards the SWOAPG website will list their members and provide their contact details. www.swoapg.co.uk

2010/11 Visitor Survey Report

Sean Morgan from the Lynn Jones Research Company reported on the Brecon Beacons survey at the end of the second year (in 2008/2009 BBNP was in included in the South East Wales survey; 2010 saw the survey become BBNP specific).

The 2010/11 project had 587 surveys completed from 2,000 e-mail addresses given to BBT (a 20% return on people giving their e-mail addresses (30% is more the industry level). Details of the presentation on the survey results will be sent on application and the full report will be available in mid July.

Some of the questions are being amended for the 2011/12 project and it is critical that we get more email addresses collected.

Monmouthshire Walking Festival
This is running from 22nd – 31st October – lots of different walks – stargazing, geo-caching, Nordic walking – they have a facebook page

Next Meeting
BBT 2011 meeting dates
- 20th September – Myddfai Village hall
- 29th November

Counting our first Inaugural General Meeting this is our fifth AGM as we report on the fourth year of Brecon Beacons Tourism’s activity and achievements. I’m pleased to report on a year of significant progress. In my report last year I referred to the ambitions we set out in the first paper we produced for our inaugural Meeting. In that paper we expressed our concern at the lack of marketing of the Brecon Beacons and we outlined our aim for the area to be recognised as a destination in its own right. In 2010 we achieved that ambition, Visit Wales confirmed Brecon Beacons new ‘destination’ status.

This enabled Brecon Beacons Tourism to receive for the first time, core-funding to support its co-ordination work with the tourism trade, the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Powys County Council, the eight other local authorities in the area and the three Regional Tourism Partnerships that cover the area led by Tourism Partnership Mid-Wales (TPMW).

At the start of the year, Brecon Beacons Tourism led an informal Tourism Marketing Co-ordination Group, which included the BBNPA, Powys, Monmouthshire & Carmarthen County Councils, TPMW and Capitol Regional Tourism ( CRT). The Group commissioned a new Tourism Marketing Strategy to set the direction and provide the framework to improve and strengthen future marketing of the Brecon Beacons. The strategy was completed in November and the key recommendations included:

• To appoint a PR person/agency to generate stories and push them out through traditional & on-line media and encourage travel writers to visit the Brecon Beacons.

• To develop an inspirational and comprehensive website for the Brecon Beacons area, with stimulating themes and links to commercial products.

• To Focus on Digital marketing: a digital marketing plan (covering. content development, social media, user-generated content, search engine optimisation, e-crm), needs to be developed and implemented
Visit Wales via TPMW with CRT and South West Wales Tourism Partnership (SWWTP) confirmed £25,000 to support the delivery of the Marketing Strategy recommendations. The informal Marketing Co-ordination Group was formally constituted as the ‘Brecon Beacons Marketing Co-ordination Group and BBT signed a contract to appoint and manage the PR/Digital Marketing person to undertake a programme of work on behalf of the Group. Alexandra Marr & Associate’s were appointed in November and hit the ground running. We would like to thank them for the successes they have had so far. Punch will report on the results already achieved in her report together with an update on the important work being done on developing one comprehensive website for the Brecon Beacons which will utilise the content of the both the Brecon Beacons Tourism’s and the National Park’s websites.

In October, Brecon Beacons Tourism’s commitment to ‘actively working together’ was recognised at the “National Tourism Awards for Wales’ when we were shortlisted for the Partnership Working Award
At the end of a momentous year, I must say a huge thank you to the people who have made it happen. To our architect and driving force, Punch Maughan, to Catherine Maggs for keeping our finances in order, to Julia Blazer who has joined us to give Punch much needed support and to Alison Crawshaw for her continued help and support.

And finally a big thank you to our funders Visit Wales, via the three Tourism Partnership Partnerships: Mid-Wales, Capitol Regional, and South West Wales, to the Brecon Beacons National Park’s Interreg Collabor8 project and to Powys County Council.

And last but not least to you our members, without your support, none of this would have been possible so a very big heartfelt thank you.

Attendees:
Nicola (Punch) Maughan (Director General), Elizabeth Jefferys (Chair), Anna Heywood (Drover Holidays), Catherine Maggs (Treasurer), Idris Jones (Pen-y-Dre Farm), Sue Collins (Ty Gwyn B&B), Peter Williams and Alison Kidd (The Prospectory), Mark Lloyd (Monmouthshire County Council), Martin Cooke (Powys County Council), Jeff Calligan (Mountain and River Activities), Mark Soanes (Call of the Wild), Francis Lawson (YHA), Andrew Fryer (Wern Watkin), Mike Smith (Black Mountain Activities), Hilary Lipscombe (Old Rectory Barn), Laura Miles (Felin Fach Griffin), Sharon Birch (Glasbury House OEC), Sheila Jenkins (Cantref Coach House Cottage), Annie Lawrie (BBNPA), Donna Baldwin (The Retreat), Ceri James (Powys CC), Ryan Thomas Llangorse Multi Activity Centre), Peter Williams and Alison Kidd (The Prospectory), Clare Wright (the School Annex), Michael Cunningham (Erwood Station Craft Centre), Ian Andrews (CADW), Phil Parks (National Trust), Julia Blazer (Art Beat Brecon), Kathryn Stowers (Big Pit), Gary Evans (Hawk Associates & SWOAPG), Colin Evans (Cantref), Edward Hillier (Ty Newydd Country Hotel)

Recorded apologies: Susie Suter (Gliffaes), Cordelia Passmore, Catherine McCloughlin, Peter Seamen, Rebecca Bowker, Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages

Agenda Points:

Elizabeth Jeffreys welcomed everyone to the fifth BBT AGM and thanked Rob and the staff at Nythfa House.

Chair’s Report
Last year papers were set-out with a list of ambitions including the Brecon Beacons being identified as a tourism destination in its own right, this happended in 2010….For full report See Appendix 1

Finance Report
2009 had had a turnover of just over £40,000
2010 had a turnover of £61,688 and had a profit of £108
The 2010 financial report was formally accepted. Available on application
(Proposer – Mike Cunningham, Seconder – Donna Baldwin)

2011 Budget
A larger contingency will be retained in 2011 to prevent any difficulties at the end of the year. Memberships are expected to rise to 250 people in 2011. The final figure for the marketing work has not yet finalised for entering into the budget.
The 2011 budget was accepted with an anticipated turnover of £80,000.
(Proposer – Jeff Callaghan, Seconder – Gary Evans)

Officers & Nominations
Officers
Chair – Elizabeth Jeffreys
Vice Chair – Andrew Fryer
Director General – Punch Maughan
Treasurer – Catherine Maggs
Collective acceptance of officers
(Proposer – Sue Collins, Seconder – Sharon Birch)

Executive Committee
Abergavenny – Hilary Lipscombe
Brecon Very Revd Geoffrey Marshall
Hay on Wye & Talgarth – Anna Heywood
Heads of Valleys – Eddie Hillier
Hotel Sector – Susie Suter
Formally accepted
(Proposer – Donna Baldwin, Seconder – Liz Mathews)

Nominations
1. Llandovery & Llandeilo – Fiona Walker
Proposer – Nick Stewart, Seconder – Gary Evans

2. Activity Sector – Mark Soanes, Call of The Wild
Proposer – Gary Evans, second – Jeff Callaghan

3. Co-opted position – Colin Evans, Cantref

Nythfa House is now open to the public for meals and for conference facilities – contact Rob Lewis on 01874 624287. The Retreat at Nythfa House offer beauty treatments and pamper parties both on and off site. There is also a small swimming pool which is available for private hire – contact Donna Baldwin on 07900 551765.

BBT Update
The BBT website continues to grow with content and more businesses being added to the directory. The biggest referers to the website are the BBNPA and Visit Wales websites. More local marketing areas have been created thus sub-dividing the larger areas into more sections.

The BBT Facebook page is becoming more dynamic and the blog is also being used for businesses special offers. Alexander Marr is sending out weekly updates to press on the deals and special offers in the area. Please send any information to her via breconnews@gmail.com

www.getactive-beacons.co.uk is the BBT business to business website and contains minutes, cheat sheets, contact details for BBT and other business info. It also has an events ‘widget’ which can be picked up and used on other people’s websites.

Brecon Beacons Marketing Coordination Group (BBMCG) has been set-up and the core representatives are from BBT, Powys CC, Monmouthshire CC, Carmarthenshire CC, BBNPA (tourism, communication and visitor teams), Regional Tourism Partnerships, TIC group, with a hope to also bring in CADW and The National Trust and some other key trade represntatives. There is also a steering group which meets more often. The main focus of the group for 2011 is the destination website and coordinating BB press releases and public relations.

The National Tourism Open Platform (NTOP) is the main data platform for Visit Wales and Visit Britain to pick up business information. Guestlink has been the main data feeder for the BBNP area but BBT has been lobbying for this to be changed and shortly businesses will be able to use Web4U as an alternate feeder to NTOP and therefore the Visit Wales websites.

Alexander Marr & Associates who are handling the local Press & PR send through monthly reports and there have been a number of press successes including press releases in the Telegraph, The Guardian, Sunday Times, Sunday Express and others. They also post regular updates to Facebook and the blog. These reports are available on appication

BBT is looking at its organisational structure and will be undergoing some re-modelling in 2011.

BBT is a member of Wales Tourism Alliance, a political lobbying group.

BBT working closely with SWOAPG representing the activity sector and a recent adventure activity day for businesses was a great success.

BBT still involved in the visitor e-mail survey, which gets sent to guests and visitors of the Brecon Beacons –Businesses are encouraged to submit the email addresses of their visitors so that they can respond to the survey

Be aware of securing your business WIFI see www.ecrimewales.com
It is now a legal requirement for anyone renting out holiday lets for 4 months or more in any 12 month period to have an Energy Performance Certificate by 13 June 2011. See www.wasco.org.uk

BBT Information Provision Research
Alison Kidd from Prospectory reported on the BBT commissioned research on what kind of questions visitors before and during their visit and then match them to the data and information that is available. They analysed 1000 queries from Trip Advisor Wales forum, Online surveys, focus groups and business survey responses.

Pre-trip most queries are concerning accommodation and general area info, surprisingly alot of research concerns where to eat. This becomes the main query once people arrive along with walking routes; cycling info and general are info.

Most of the queries named the location where they were staying (this allowed people to quickly narrow there search and results) and secondly they wanted recommendations. 80% of the visitors consulted the Internet before they arrived (for new/first time visitors this was 100%) and most used for finding accommodation, seeking reviews and recommendations and thirdly places to visit. 57% of visitors accessed the Internet during their visit.

The BBT website gets most hits from people searching on events (predominantly for Green Man and Brecon Jazz). Also accommodation and general Beacons info are searched for. What is missing is the location related keyword searches; this includes the word “near” to some.

The BBT website has excellent coverage for the main topics that visitors are interested in, except for walks.

Recommendations from the research
- Clarify the role of the BBT website
- Social network favourites and dislikes are starting to lead the way
- Help members exploit existing service (don’t try to compete) and make sure they are part of them (Trip Advisor, Google Places, Facebook)
- User reviews are here to stay embrace and manage them
- BBT members will have to decide whether this is something they want BBT to do.
- Make sure mobile phone searches pick up BBT and members websites
- Encourage member website cross linking between businesses
- Look at possibilities of bringing together visitor to visitor recommendations on the Beacons
- Collect and publish the cross references which visitors naturally make
- Concentrate on mobile Internet access rather than kiosk internet use. 24% of the UK population have a “smart” phone

For more information contact Alison Kidd on alison@prospectory.co.uk

Sustainable Tourism Powys- RDP Project
Martin Cooke reported that monies accessed via the Rural Development Plan (RDP) offers opportunities for tourism businesses for sustainable tourism. The criteria have changed recently and further information will be able from the 9th of May onwards

Welcome Monmouthshire
Mark Lloyd, Tourism Development Officer for Monmouthshire CC introduced the RDP Axis 3 & 4 projects within Monmouthshire, which aims to encourage sustainable tourism development and increase year round tourism. Start date for this project is May 2011

Axis 3 monies are available to develop walking loops off the Usk Valley Walk and coastal path routes to provide short circular routes. There is the provision for marketing as well as business support for businesses and communities on the circular routes. Also support available for interpretation, signage and access to rivers and waterways, deliver improvements on sustainable transport options and development of incentives for visitors.

Broadening Business – specific grants available for business in Monmouth to upgrade facilities. (£30k at 50%)
Vital Villages – community environmental improve scheme

Also Axis 4 projects offer a small grant scheme for traditional sectors. There is investigations into Walkers are Welcome scheme in Monmouthshire (£5 k max at 50%)
Online marketing support to link tourism businesses with food producers.
There are plan to create Sudbrook village interpretation centre
Festival clusters and gardens festival being developed for the area.

The Offa’s Dyke trail will be celebrating its 40th annerversary in 2011 and there will be a series of events to mark the event.

Sustainable Transport
Annie Lawrie, Visitor Transport Officer for the BBNPA, updated the meeting on the work over the last two years. Information has increased and now a Brecon Beacons specific transport website has been launched www.travelbreconbeacons.info which also links in to Travel Cymru and Park Explorer (the BBNPA map based website). Annie is launching a competition this summer to get as many visitors as possible using public transport between 1st of May to 30th September 2011.

The 2011 transport brochures and leaflets will be available from May onwards. Beacons Bus is starting the 29th of May to the 2nd of October 2011.

Next Meeting
BBT 2011 meeting dates
- 28th June
- 20th September
- 29th November

Minutes of Brecon Beacons Tourism AGM at The Barn at Brynich, Brecon on Tuesday the 23rd of March 2010

Nicola (Punch) Maughan (Director General), Elizabeth Jefferys (Chair), Gwen and Idris Jones (Pen-y-Dre Farm Holidays), Carol Williams and Richard Tyler (BBNPA), Anna Heywood (Drover Holidays), Andrew Fryer (Wern Watkin), Sharon Birch (Glasbury House OEC), Susie Gaskell (Priory Mill), Susie Suter (Gliffaes Hotel), Laura Kostoris (Talybont Post Office and Stores), Helen Jones (Tourism Partnership Mid Wales), Steve Sharp (Merryfields Barn), Eddie Hillier (Ty Newydd Country Hotel), Kathy Brookshaw (Gwyn Deri B&B), Les Rees (George Hotel), Albert Keane (Country Life & Welsh Flair), Vivienne Wilfred (CRT)

Apologies: Pat Hart, Jane Powell, Catherine Maggs (Treasurer), Diana Blowfield, Clifford Noonan, Rebecca Bowker, Martin Smith, Toni Borgia, Sue Davies, Keith Lee, Geoffrey Marshall, Jim Gammon, Sheila Jenkins, Drayson Kohli, Pat James, Susan Fiander Woodhouse, Sue Davies, Haydn Jones, Cordeila Passmore, Kath Mear

Welcome
Elizabeth Jeffreys welcomed everyone and thanked Catherine Maggs and the Brynich team for offering the Barn as a venue. The meeting being a week before Easter meant many people were unable to attend but thank you for those who were present.

1. Chair’s Report

Appendix 1

2. Director’s Overview

Membership has now reached 180 members.

The BBT website has seen a doubling of page views recently and the links and referrals have increased exponentially. The Visit Wales website now links to the BBT website for all types of accommodation. The website has seen alot of changes in the last year, especially in the search facilities and mapping. Special offers and late availability are new sections which have recently been added and software is being introduced to automate the process and ensure the data is current. The Brecon Beacons events calendar is now available as a ‘widget’ that can be added to member’s web sites.

The CandiTV screen has gone live in Brecon, temporarily in the window of the Ardent Gallery in the centre of town, whilst the internet connection is sorted out at Brecon TIC.

The Web4-u system has been amended to allow for better searches on type of shops and food producers and the events profiling continues to be developed.

The Brecon Beacons has been awarded destination status by Visit Wales and consultants have been appointed to create a marketing strategy and action plan to allow all partners (BBNPA, Powys, Camarthenshire, Monmouthshire, BBT & other LAs) to embrace this opportunity and guide who should do what.

The Wales Activity Tourism Organisation is giving the outdoor providers in the BBNP area the chance to iron out some of the anomalies of the data transfer system that are blocking their profile on Visit Wales & Visit Britain as well as giving support to the South Wales Outdoor Providers Group and their liaison with the wardens, Forestry Commission etc

Get Fit for Business 3 – a training scheme focussing on the OA sector is to be managed by BBT this year and will allow businesses in area to more tailor the course their needs. The scheme will help those who want to package services and accommodation and how to market these

BBT members have been one of the main contributors to the SE Wales online survey. In 2010 BBT hopes the survey will have more of BBNP focus and improved ways of capturing the visitors e-mail addresses. (suggestions – cards in accommodation establishments / other businesses asking visitors to volunteer their email address)

BBT Committee – Kathryn Stowers, Bryan and Angela Thomas are standing down from the committee.

3. Finance Report and Budget for 2010

2009 figures available on request

Appendix 2

4. Acceptance of Shared Values & Code of Practice

Following the meeting at Glasbury OEC on January the 26th of January 2010, the Code of Practice has been amended, which will be included as an integral part of BBTs membership.
Accepted by the meeting.

The Shared Values have been shortened and made more concise.
Accepted by the meeting. The Shared Values will be added to the website.

Appendix 3

We are undertaking some research to help us improve how and what infromation we profile online for visitors – to this end we want to know what you as a business get asked by people thinking of booking with you or when they are staying with you. Please take a couple of minutes to answer the questions on this survey

Minutes of Brecon Beacons Tourism Meeting at Henderson Hall, Talybont-on-Usk on Wednesday the 26th of January 2011

Nicola (Punch) Maughan (Director General), Elizabeth Jeffreys (Chair), Anna Heywood (Drover Holidays), Catherine Maggs (Treasurer), Gwenllian Jones (Pen-y-Dre Farm), Alexandra Marr, Sue Collins (Ty Gwyn B&B), Peter Williams and Alison Kidd (The Prospectory), Oscar Brown (Beacons Bunkhouse), Jeff Calligan (Mountain and River Activities), Rose Vyvyan-Robinson (Alltybrain Cottage), Susie Gaskell (Priory Mill Farm), Ceri Scott-Howell (Coity Bach Holiday Cottages), Sheila Jenkins (Cantref Coachouse Cottage), Myfanwyy Mitchell (Ellesmere Riding Centre), Helen Jones (TPMW/Medwrn), Jo Nicholas (Merthyr Tydfil CBC), Katie O’Byrne (Cantref Adventure), Regan Jones (Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages), Ryan & John Thomas (Llangorse Multi Activity Centre), Martin Fleming (Buckland Hall), Pat Hart (Cradoc Golf Club), Geoffrey Marshall (Brecon Cathedral), Gary Evans (Hawk Associates), Ruth Coulthard (BBNPA), Bill Richards (Tourism Research and Marketing), Joe Newby & Rhys Hughes (Valleys Regional Park), Carole Paish (Bridge Cafe), Keith White (Brynhonddu Country House), Peter Seaman (Ty Canol), Tony & Jayne Hills (Brecon Mountain Railway), Christine Hope (Golden Valley & Black Mountains Experience Group)

Agenda Points

Welcome
Elizabeth welcomed everyone to the meeting. While there has been lots of depressing news recently for businesses the saying “when the going gets tough the tough get going” should be applied to BBT.

BBT Update
While the websites views did a big dip in the late autumn they have been busy in January, which is encouraging. Google is very important for the website so getting the search word right is important. Good links to the BBT website are Visit Wales and Brecon Beacons.org (BBNPA website).

The marketing strategy which is focussed on the Brecon Beacons was completed in the autumn and can be viewed on the business info pages of www.breconbeacons.org The marketing coordination group (BBNPA, BBT, Powys, Mons & Carms CC) are now taking forward the actions with the help of the new marketing coordinator Alexandra Marr. AM is constantly looking for content for press stories and businesses who would be prepared to host journalists. AM can be contacted via breconnews@gmail.com

BBT’s business facing website www.getactive-beacons.co.uk is where the minutes get posted and all BBT member information is kept. BBT members can also join a Google group where members can e-mail around questions and join a networked chat group.

BBT was involved in the South East Wales e-mail survey to guests and visitors in 2009 and is running a Brecon Beacons focussed one now in order to understand the Brecon Beacons visitors more.

By the end of September the survey had 245 respondents and this was already providing useful data. Most of the visitors were from England and most used websites to research their visit. PM made a plea for businesses to submit their visitor email addresses monthly when they are requested so that we are getting a good representative response

The Sustainable Tourism Strategy
The Tourism Company have been commissioned to develop a new strategy for destination management for the Brecon Beacons for the next five years.

BBT member benefits include:
- Insurance through Leisuresure
- Area Leaflet drops

Dates for the Dairy
February 17th – E-marketing day course
March 2nd – Tourism Conference
March 9th – Digital Destinations in Cardiff
March 12th – Party on the Pier – Destination launch
March 18th – E-tourism Conference in Newtown

TICs & Visitor Services

Ruth Coulthard (BBNPA) reported on the Brecon Beacons TICs. Monmouthshire County Council has decided to close the Monmouth and Chepstow TIC’s at the end of 2011. They are also suggesting they reduce their contribution to the Abergavenny TIC, although a 6 week consultation period has been given before the final decision will be made.
Businesses and BBT collectively were asked to respond to this consultation – information will be sent out separately re this.

Alexandra Marr – PR Google Places – How can it benefit your business?

Google is one of the most important forces on the Internet and Google maps and Google Places are therefore a well used and powerful tool. You can register your business on Google maps and HotPot, where you are able add business details, as well as load up opening times, contact details, special offers etc. There is also the facility to review your business The reviews and location of the business are then shown when people search on the maps or on particular search words (these are now starting to show at the top of page one search pages). The reviews also come from other sources on the Internet like Tripadvisor.

Google is already taking information about businesses on the Internet, so this offers businesses some control over the data which is being placed up and used on the net.

How to put your business on Google Places – see cheat sheets.

The Prospectory – visitor query research
Alison Kidd and Peter Williams from Prospectory are conducting Visitor Information Research, a 2 month research project for BBT.
There are 3 aims:
1. Collect data on the questions visitors actually ask – before and during their visit to the Brecon Beacons
2. Evaluate how well the current online information provides answers in a structure and form which readily matches the questions
3. Suggest some ways forward for BBT’s online services

The meeting broke into smaller groups to look at the types of questions visitors ask.

For more information contact Alison Kidd on alison@prospectory.co.uk

AOB
None.

Next Meeting
BBT 2011 meeting dates
- 29th March (AGM)
- 24th May
- 12th July
- 20th September
- 29th November

The Following sites are useful guides and videos for anyone looking to establish a Google place for Business
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT, REGISTER AT:

https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=mail&passive=true&rm=false&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fui%3Dhtml%26zy%3Dl&bsv=llya694le36z&ss=1&scc=1&ltmpl=default&ltmplcache=2&hl=en

Official Guide from Google

http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/static.py?hl=en&page=guide.cs&guide=28247

YouTube Channel Video Help

http://www.youtube.com/user/GooglePlaces

Unofficial Guide

http://smallbusinessshift.com/guides/guide-to-google-places-for-business/

If you have issues with Google Places feel free to call 074130 33568 or email breconnews@gmail.com

Search Optimization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

If you’re really keen about exploiting the internet I can create a tutorial on SEO with more information. But don’t “run before you can walk”, establish Google places first!

Please send information to traveltradewales@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Please, please make your e-mail subject line specific and interesting!

Subject
Visit Wales are looking for regular information that will get attention for Wales and for your businesses. News, events and offers are always welcome. They would also especially appreciate you sharing your interesting stories with them so that they can share them with their media and trade contacts and with the widest possible audience of potential visitors.

Content
- A link to your website
- Location
- Date (if applicable)
- Contact for VW queries (will not be published)
- Contact details for consumers/media (will be published)
- Short description. 100 words is usually more than enough
- Images if available

Image Format
Images are best sent as low-resolution JPEG files – ready to go on a website.

Social Media
Twitter
twitter.com/visitwales Businesses who already use Twitter can share their news and updates with @visitwales

Flickr
flickr.com/photos/visitwales Images that are held on Flickr can be easily linked to by Visit Wales.

YouTube
youtube.com/user/visitWales For video, we would encourage businesses to provide links to content held on YouTube.

Small Print
1. Information provided from the tourism industry helps Visit Wales communicate the rich, engaging story needed to build Wales’s reputation as a tourism destination. It’s important to understand that there can be no guarantee that an individual piece of information will appear on a website or in a publication, or be used in any other medium, by Visit Wales or by third parties.
2. By providing information to Visit Wales for this purpose, businesses warrant that they have the legal right to use the materials they provide in this way.
3. More information is available at http://www.visitwales.co.uk/footer/terms-and-conditions/ and http://www.visitwales.co.uk/footer/copyright/

Alexandra Marr and her team who have just been appointed as the marketing coordinators for the Brecon Beacons would love to get hold of all and any press-releases, photos, and events information—even for events that have already happened—as they start putting together a central “content bank ” of promotional resources.

They are also looking for volunteers who may be willing to write the occasional blog-entry on their business / experiences in the Brecon Beacons. Most urgently, we need any information on:

Last minute Christmas and New Year packages, events, etc.

Winter discounts

St Dwynwyn’s day events, packages

St. Valentine’s Day events, packages

St David’s Day events

Quirky events for 2011

Anniversaries in 2011

Alexandra is also compiling a comprehensive report on marketing activities throughout the Brecon Beacons National Park. To this end, we would be grateful if you can forward her your Marketing and PR plan, if you have one, plus info about any upcoming marketing activity. The goal here is to pool resources as much as possible, without—obviously—interfering with any marketing efforts already underway.

Additionally, could you pass on to Alexandra details of anything you’re doing involving online “social media” such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Places (which is worth registering with if you haven’t already), including Facebook and Twitter account/ page names.

Please send anything you feel is relevant to breconnews@gmail.com

Finally and it would be great if you could encourage friends, colleagues, etc to vote for our local Brecon Beacons shops in the Daily Telegraph’s online “Best Small Shops in Britain” contest.

www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/7992321/Telegraph-Magazine-The-Best-Small-Shops-in-Britain-2010.html

Voting closes at midnight on 10th December 2010.

Minutes of Brecon Beacons Tourism Meeting at The Swan, Hay-on-Wye on Tuesday the 30th of November 2010

Nicola (Punch) Maughan (Director General), Elizabeth Jefferys (Chair), Anna Heywood (Drover Holidays), Catherine Maggs (Treasurer), Gwenllian Jones (Pen-y-Dre Farm), Frank Marr & Alexandra Marr, Susie Suter (Glifaes Country Hotel), Edward Hillier (Ty Newydd Country Hotel), Edmund Inkin and Laura Miles (The Felin Fach Griffin), Sue Collins (Ty Gwyn B&B), Lucienne and Neil Bennett (The Wern Horse & Rider B&B), David Thomas (Cric), Bill Richards (TRAM), Ian Foster and Julie Davison (Westview Guest House), Bogda Smreczak (Capital Regional Tourism), Sharon Birch (Glasbury House OEC), John Evans (Hay Tourist Bureau), Peter Williams and Alison Kidd (The Prospectory), Annie Lawrie (BBNPA Sustainable Transport Manager), Oscar Brown (Beacons Bunkhouse)

Agenda Points

Welcome
Elizabeth thanked everyone for making their way through the snow and welcomed everyone to the last BBT meeting of 2010.

BBT Update
Last year the Brecon Beacons National Park was defined as a Marketing Destination by Visit Wales, which will allow the area to be marketed in its own right. The marketing strategy regarding this has now been signed off and Hay has been identified as one of the key gateways for visitors to the Park. Alexandra Marr and Associates have been appointed as the Coordinator of this process. Alexandra is looking for content and images for press releases for immediate use. Please see separate Marketing Opportunities document or email Alexandra for an update on her requirements:
breconnews@gmail.com

BBT and partners are currently pooling together images for an image library that members can access.

The visitor survey has been sent out to a range of Brecon Beacons visitors this year and at the end of September there have been 245 responses.

As part of the survey, the survey e-mail addresses are picked up on a monthly basis for Tourist information Centres. It is planned that this TIC run will be extended to provide a leaflet drop for BBT members and details will be sent out about this in the new year. If you might be interested in this opportunity please email info@breconbeaconstourism.co.uk – drops will also be made at local pubs / attractions / caravan parks etc

Hay Cluster Group
Anna Heywood, chair of the Hay cluster group, introduced the work of the group and the results of the recent town surveys – the final report of which will be available by Mid December. On the survey feedback received there was an opportunity to try and extend the season by organising a walking festival in September / October. Also a paper based weekly events listing will be created for next year, so all businesses & visitors know what is happening in the town.

Crickhowell Walking Festival
David Thomas introduced the Crickhowell Walking Festival and how it has been developed with the aim of extended the tourism season. It takes about a year of planning to get a walking festival up and running. The aim was to bring people across the Severn bridge and have them stay in the area at a time they would not normally stay.

Things you need to think about:
- Who do you need? – someone to organise the event and be a central contact point; someone to plan the walks; someone to market the event; someone to do the admin; and an event’s organiser.
- What do you need? – An information leaflet/brochure with all the information included (paper copies are essential). Coordinate other events around the festival (Twmpath, map reading workshop, mountain first aid courses).

Other things to think about:
- Is there a theme that the festival is based around?
- Insurance (you have to be a properly constituted group/business to get this)
- Car-parking and starting points of the walks – most people use stat navs and want postcodes, which are not specific. Full descriptions of the walk start point should be given.
- Booking procedures – the booking system needs to be very good, as it can become quite complicated. Every walk needs to be bookable to avoid large numbers turning up unexpectedly and downloadable booking forms are vital.

Stats – Total number of walkers: 2008 – 500; 2010 – 1,000. On average people walk one and a half walks each.
Geographical spread of the walkers: 46% are local (30 miles), 30% are from 2 hours away, 19% from greater than 2 hours away (more likely to stay). The festival wants to increase the further a-field people to around 40%.
Nights stayed – most 1 or 2 nights, about 12 people stayed for the whole week. 40% of the tourism businesses say they get business from the festival.

Publicity – In the first year alot of marketing was done in magazines, but this was not felt to create a great response. The best publicity is from being involved last year or hearing about it from a friend. Consequently all past attendants are now sent flyers ahead of the festival. Websites have not produced a huge response.
For more information e-mail david.f.thomas@btinternet.com

B-bug
Alison Kidd and Peter Williams introduced the B-bug project, which will be running next summer. http://beaconsbuggy.wordpress.com .The Beacons Buggies (B-Bugs) are road legal electrical buggies, which will be available for visitors to hire for short journeys and day trips. Part of the trial is a research project, testing new behaviours and exploring different transportation.

Pre-trial research included visitor questionnaires looking at visitor journeys to see how many short journeys they do while on holiday in the Beacons. 400 journeys were recorded and it was found that visitors do more miles than anticipated. The median day trip mileage was 15 miles (for people staying on caravan sites) and 18 miles (for people staying in cottages). Even people who were specially coming to cycle or walk, there was car journeys to get to the start of their routes. This research showed 37% of the journeys would be possible in a B-bug.

Currently two B-buggies are being developed and tested and the trail details are being developed ahead of next summer. There is a problem with insurance at the moment, which may result in the rentals being for free.

Help needed with:
Promotion – tell your visitors about the trail
Charging points – offers to host a changing point. Very eager to have one or two charging points in the Hay area.

For more information contact Alison Kidd on alison@prospectory.co.uk

Beacons Bus
Annie Laurie, BBNPA Transport Manager, introduced a new brochure ‘Mountain Walks by Bus’, which features walks you can do using the local weekday bus services. The Beacons Bus usage and income is up 13% this year compared to previous years. Currently the BBNPA is waiting to see if the bus will run the same way in 2011. Next year there will be a competition running challenging visitors to leave their car behind and use alternative methods of transport including bus, train, bikes….horse, canoe! ..those that send in proof will be entered into monthly draw – there is hope that this will spark good media coverage!
For more information contact Annie.Lawrie@breconbeacons.org

AOB
Spaces left on an upcoming course:

E-marketing – online marketing and chatter; 19th of January 2011 at 10am in The Brynich Barn, Brecon – please email medrwn@tpmw.co.uk to book

Hay Cluster meeting at 6pm on Tuesday 7th of December in the The Swan, Hay – just turn up

Next Meeting
BBT 2011 meeting dates
- 25th January 2011
- 29th March (AGM)
- 24th May
- 12th July
- 20th September
- 29th November