Marketing

The North Wales Borderlands

Since 1996, the Economic Development Department at WCBC has worked in partnership with Denbighshire and Flintshire County Councils to promote tourism within the region. The 'Marketing Area' (Wrexham County Borough, Flintshire and Rural Denbighshire) is marketed as 'The North Wales Borderlands'. In total, Wales has 13 'Marketing Areas, of which 'The North Wales Borderlands' is one.

Main Marketing Area Guide

The main area of activity of the North Wales Borderlands Partnership, is the production of the main area marketing guide. Aimed primarily at the leisure visitor, the guide highlights all the area has to offer in addition to presenting a directory of accommodation and attractions. Advertising in the guide is open to all tourism trade, however accommodation must be Visit Wales or AA graded. These rules are in accordance to those set by Visit Wales, and apply to all marketing brochures across Wales.

The guide is an annual publication, the production of which begins during June/July in order to be distributed during the following December. Each year, in excess of 100,000 guides are printed.

The guide is distributed through various sources:

• Tourist Information Centres (TIC's) throughout the UK
• Direct Mail
• Response to Enquiries
• Through Joint Marketing Campaigns (see below)
• Advertising

Website

The North Wales Borderlands website (www.borderlands.co.uk) compliments the print. Each venue that pays to advertise in the guide may also be viewable through the North Wales Borderlands website. A new development of the website is the use of accommodation pages from the official Visit Wales website (www.visitwales.com). Operators are able to input their business information onto the site, free of charge. Visit Wales holds regular courses throughout Wales for operators to attend free of charge to utilise the website.

Joint Marketing

Each year the North Wales Borderlands buy into various campaigns to promote the destination. These campaigns include:

• Visit Wales
• UK Co-ordinated Advertising Campaign - Joint advertising with other partners.

The North Wales Borderlands brochure is used as fulfilment print for each of the above. By pooling resources like this, more activity can be achieved than by independent activity. The North Wales Borderlands also place ad-hoc advertising etc, when opportunities arise.

Marketing of Wrexham

In addition to the North Wales Borderlands campaign, each Local Authority market their own areas individually.

The Economic Development Department have produced a brand new dedicated 'Visitor Guide' to Wrexham for 2005 'Real Wrexham'. As Wrexham has developed so much over the past few years, the area has much more to offer than can be highlighted through the NWB campaign alone. The fully comprehensive guide, available in both Welsh and English, will be an annual publication.

Download the 'Real Wrexham' Guide

The guide is distributed through regional TIC's, and accommodation and attraction outlets, in addition to being distributed upon request following various advertising campaigns.