A tourism campaign has been launched to help boost the North Wales economy by £200 million a year.
The Go North Wales brand is being showcased on a new website that also includes an online booking, attraction bookings and an E shop.
The drive is being masterminded by North Wales Tourism, the biggest destination management company in Wales which has a growing membership of more than 1,000 on its books.
According to managing director Jim Jones, tourism already generates over £2 billion a year and employs 40,000 people in the region.
They are now working to the target set by Visit Wales to grow tourism earnings by 10 per cent or more by the year 2020.
Mr Jones said: “The new www.gonorthwales.co.uk website for us is the digital gateway to tourism in North Wales, so it’s incredibly important that we get it right.
“We’ve invested a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of money in making sure we’ve got a state of the art website with fresh branding and fresh imagery.
“We particularly want to go out to try and assist as much as we possibly can to make life easier for our members so we’ve included an online booking service for accommodation providers and attractions as part of the new website.
“We’ve deliberately pitched our commission rate at a very low level service that undercuts big name rivals.
“It is significantly lower than most of the big name operators who often charge double that percentage or more.”
The development of the website has been overseen by Gareth Daniels, the head of digital experience at North Wales Tourism.
He said: “The website is a way for visitors to find information more easily and in more depth than you would find on Trip Advisor or other bigger websites.
“There’s a comprehensive listing of all activities and attractions, from white water rafting to zoos and aquariums. It’s all listed on the website with incredible content and imagery.
“We’ve worked with some award winning photographers as well as the Visit Wales image libraries so we have had access to some incredible pictures.”
Mr Jones added: “This is a huge opportunity for North Wales Tourism, our membership is growing, and the key to our future success will be bringing everybody to work in partnership – the private and public sectors – to work for the greater good.
“In marketing North Wales, we need to speak with one voice and work collaboratively so that we can upgrade the tourism infrastructure. Together we’ll be a power to be reckoned with.
“The North West, the Midlands, Yorkshire, and Cheshire are all our key target markets and we also want to raise our profile in London
“North Wales has got everything going for it. We have spectacular scenery and brilliant attractions in abundance, all in close proximity to each other.
“We have some really world class assets in the form of Snowdonia National Park and our three Areas Outstanding Natural Beauty.
“Equally, we’ve got world class heritage sites with the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the castles at Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Conwy.
“Whether the customer comes here to enjoy an outdoor experience or a heritage experience, we must fulfil and exceed their expectations.
“We are supportive of Visit Wales’s ambitions, and we rely on their support.
“North Wales is definitely going places. We want to take tourism to the next level and the new branding and the new website are key staging posts on our path to prosperity.”
