Deputy minister for culture, tourism and sport Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas kick-started Year of Discovery 2019 with visits to new tourism experiences in Ceredigion last week.

The Welsh Government say this fourth themed year will give people compelling reasons to visit Wales.

“By coming together and working in partnership, our themed years have given Wales a strong voice – in a very competitive marketplace,” said Lord Elis-Thomas.

“We know that our themed year campaigns are generating over £350m a year for the economy.

“Wales’ strengths are adventure, culture and the outdoors, and the aim of our themed years is to reinforce these strengths – we will return to these themes time and again, to ensure that we have clear and consistent messages about what Wales has to offer.

“In 2019 we want to encourage our visitors to discover Wales anew, to discover new parts of Wales and to try out enriching outdoor, adventure and cultural experiences across the country.”

The minister visited the team at fforest, Cilgerran, who are celebrating 12 years since starting the business.

The team has recently revealed a new project for 2019, in collaboration with The Representative Body of the Church in Wales, which has been supported through the Welsh Government’s Tourism Product Innovation Fund.

The SpiritCymru project is aimed at connecting chapels and churches in west Wales through “a unique cycle of touring journeys and overnight stays in remote historic church and chapel buildings which provide a window of discovery to the rural communities and small legends of Wales”.

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