A key focus for Phase 2 of the Celtic Routes campaign, for 2022 will be engaging with tourism businesses to co-design and develop new products and experiences aligned to the themes that are integral to the Celtic Routes brand. We want to enhance the bookability of Celtic Routes experiences. We also want to bring the stories in each county to life through a curated collection of activities. Each experience will offer an authentic insight into the landscape, heritage and special qualities of West Wales and Ireland’s Ancient East.

Examples of potential experiences include:

• Nature and heritage walking tours

• Foraging trips

• Cycling tours

• Dark sky trails

• Activity packages such as coasteering, team building and water sports

• Wildlife watching trips

• Pilgrimage trips

• Arts and Crafts experiences

• Cultural tours

The key thing is that the experiences help visitors to better understand the county and that the provenance of place (landscape, nature, heritage and culture) is a key part of the experience. Potential benefits of participation in the initiative include: • A dedicated marketing programme to promote the experiences • A dedicated section of the Celtic Routes website • Media and blogger coverage of participating experiences. •IMPROVING THE ‘BOOKABILITY’ OF THE CELTIC ROUTES • Photographs of experiences made available to participants (as well as access to existing range of high-quality imagery) • Development of networks of similar experiences in other counties. • Learning trips to find out more about similar products in Wales and Ireland • Support to extend your programme to other counties.

The scheme is intended to promote a greater sense of place and help visitors fully enjoy the county. We already have some ideas about how we can help boost your bookings, but we’d like to find out how the project can work for you.

With this in mind, I am contacting you to offer a free opportunity to participate in a new initiative by Celtic Routes to promote authentic experiences in Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow and three counties in South West Wales.

We will tell you more about Celtic Routes, outline what we want to achieve from the initiative and what we can offer you and your business. We would also like to hear your thoughts and find out how the project can work for you.