Hospitality businesses in Wrexham will benefit from £64k of funding that has been secured by a local tourism partnership.

'This is Wrexham' has secured grant funding from Cadwyn Clwyd for what is expected to be a busy summer season for the local hospitality trade.

The funding, based around supporting the wider ‘Year of Trails’ programme in Wales will offer member businesses a wide range of supporting measures to gear them up for the 2023/24 calendar. 

For businesses signing up during the current membership window, the new grant funding will offer a wide range of marketing support via photography, filming, new maps, blogging by travel writers, restaurant and café masterclass sessions, customer service training plus much more linked through to the This is Wrexham website.

This is Wrexham Partnership Chair Sam Regan (the Lemon Tree) said that a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to relaunch the partnership this year.

Sam said: "A lot of work has been going on to get us to this exciting new stage. We're seeing Wrexham in the news each week for all of the positive reasons that it deserves and with that, a new wave of visitors are continually arriving.

“Of course, the exposure that the football club's success is bringing to the area is a large factor - but I also have guests staying who are doing new business in the area, coming to see why Wrexham was shortlisted for the UK City of Culture last year - or just because it's an area that they've not yet explored and are intrigued to see why we're so special."

He added: "However, for all of the good that increasing visitor numbers bring - we're still facing huge challenges in the hospitality industry through ever-increasing overheads, staffing shortages and stiff competition for business as we go through a cost of living crisis.

“Therefore re-engaging local tourism operators via the partnership scheme ahead of the summer season and offering each new additional support that the funding allows us to do, will only help us achieve more cross-promotion and strengthen our collective offer as we all shout about why Wrexham is a must visit destination!"

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Wrexham Council are also supporting the partnership this year by offering a wide range of tourism projects via their new Placemaking scheme.

The first tourism brochure for several years will also be launched, along with a new online Ambassador Scheme this summer which aims to help staff within the industry understand more about the local area so that they can give a more informed level of information to visitors.

There will be new promotional films and work with Visit Wales to promote Wrexham to overseas visitors who are planning a future visit.

Joe Bickerton, tourism manager at Wrexham Council, said: "We've seen such a positive decade or so for tourism here in Wrexham - probably since 2009 when the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal was designed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“However we're entering another exciting new phase of Wrexham's history now and one that has the potential to really boost the area for many years to come.

“The tourism and hospitality businesses in Wrexham are incredibly passionate about giving a great welcome and working with local producers to support the economy and the projects that we have in place for 2023 should really help shine the spotlight on both Wrexham and these businesses further!"

Membership for the This is Wrexham Tourism Partnership, priced at £50, is open until May 30.