International representation and promotion of Wales by UK bodies
27 March 2014
The Welsh Affairs Committee will hold its first public evidence session on the International Representation and Promotion of Wales by UK bodies on Tuesday 1 April 2014.
- Parliament TV: Watch the session
- Inquiry: International representation and promotion of Wales by UK Bodies
- Welsh Affairs Committee
Details of first evidence session
The Committee will hear from a panel of experts in tourism, inward investment and Welsh culture and language. The Committee will explore how Wales is promoted to international tourists and how Welsh culture and language are promoted internationally. The Committee will also examine the role of UK bodies and the Welsh Government in promoting Wales internationally as a place to do business and Welsh products.
Date: 1 April 2014
Time: 10.00 am
Location: Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Witnesses
- Professor Annette Pritchard, Director, Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, Cardiff Metropolitan University
- Professor Jerry Hunter, School of Welsh, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Bangor University
- Dr Andrew Crawley, Research Fellow, Cardiff Business School
Information on Committee’s inquiry
Wales is a relatively small nation on the periphery of Europe and faces keen economic competition to attract skilled workers, tourists and inward investment, not only within the United Kingdom, but from Europe and further afield. Both the UK Government and the Welsh Government, and their associated bodies such as the British Council, Visit Britain, Visit Wales and UK Trade and Investment, have responsibility for promoting and representing Wales abroad.
The UK Government spends substantial amounts of money on the promotion of the UK through bodies such as the British Council, the diplomatic service and tourism promoters such as Visit Britain, although it is unclear how much its efforts are focussed on promoting Wales and how this corresponds to Wales’s 5% share of the British population.
Wales will host the 2014 NATO summit in September. This will be one of the largest international summits ever hosted in the UK and provides an opportunity to highlight what Wales has to offer to the international community.