Destination Management Plan
Tourism is vital to Bridgend County Borough’s economy. According to Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) figures, the sector brought £363m into the county borough in 2019. This supported the equivalent of 4,242 full-time jobs.
Since 2019, significant change has taken place at global, national and local levels, with the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and rises in the cost of living. All of these have had implications for the tourism and hospitality industries. The current challenges present a great opportunity for the preparation of a new Destination Management Plan to help move towards recovery.
A DMP has been introduced for Bridgend County Borough for 2022 to 2027. The DMP is a shared statement of intent to manage Bridgend County Borough as a successful visitor destination between 2022 and 2027. BCBC will work in partnership with Visit Wales, regional entities such as Cardiff Capital Region and the Valleys Regional Park, neighbouring authorities and key stakeholders such as town and community councils, accommodation providers, tourist attractions, activity providers and other local businesses that support the visitor economy.
The vision for destination management for Bridgend County Borough over the next five years is to shape a thriving visitor economy which celebrates the unique identity of Bridgend County.
To bring this vision into reality, the Destination Management Plan will focus on the following priorities:
Great Products and Places
Increase range of quality accommodation
Develop year round bookable product
Promote placemaking
Develop core events programme
Quality Visitor Experience
Focus on ‘Brilliant Basics’
Skills training
Emphasis on local food and drink
Authentic experiences
Profile Raising
Increase visibility of Visit Bridgend
Strong messaging in key attractions
Distinctive brand
Bridgend as a set location for TV/film
Embedding Sustainable Tourism
Promoting active travel
Supporting sustainable business practices
Trailblazer for high environmental standards
Dog Friendly Toolkit
Find top tips on how to welcome visitors with dogs for businesses across all sectors. Download our Dog Friendly toolkit below.
Image Library
To download high quality images, please visit our media library.
Videos
Woof you were here - Visit Bridgend County
CY https://youtu.be/Y8f3hMUf0Pw EN https://youtu.be/ERNdHCF80XM
Pyle Garden Centre https://youtu.be/7Rxx-kXe_WE
McArthur Glen https://youtu.be/RWuKTAKs8m8
Court Colman Manor https://youtu.be/nsSbjB2bTP4
Coffico https://youtu.be/GwxYLe96CiI
Coed Y Mwstwr https://youtu.be/BT9y4Dxq8lA
Bryngarw Park https://youtu.be/27iaL0FdqxQ
For high quality video files to use for your business, please contact Alice.Brown@bridgend.gov.uk
Southern Wales Tourism Group Travel Tool Kit
Group travel is an important sector for Southern Wales, even post Covid-19. It’s hard to think of a business within the public, private or voluntary sectors that couldn’t benefit from welcoming group visits.
South East Wales Tourism Forum
A Regional Fora was established in 2014 to drive the delivery of the tourism strategy in each region. There is a forum in each region - north, mid, south east and south west. The forum meets three/four times a year to discuss and review tourism developments and to bring together key stakeholders within the region.
The forum aims to identify:
- which individual business or destinations can work more closely together within the region
- opportunities for tourism development within the region
- the method for feeding into each forum through destination management partnerships
Bridgend County has two industry representatives as well as BCBC officers on the forum. Meeting minutes are available here.
Visit Wales Industry News
Stay up to date with tourism industry news from Visit Wales
Visit Wales are committed to providing the support and assurance the business community needs during these unprecedented difficult times and have issued several Coronavirus (COVID-19) related bulletins which can be found on the Tourism Industry Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bulletins page.
Visit Bridgend
This Visit Bridgend website was launched to help promote the sea, summits and scenery of county borough, featuring activities, accommodation and places of interest.
Visit Bridgend promotes the many strengths of the destination, from golf and water sports to the variety and beauty of the coast and countryside.
The logo forms part of the destination brand for the County Borough. The design of the logo shows a cross section of the County Borough. Featuring the hills of the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys and Maesteg Town Hall, the historic Old Bridge in Bridgend town centre, the Ogmore River and the beautiful coastline.
Visit Bridgend and Croeso i Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr are on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Croeso i Ben-y-bont
Visit Bridgend
Bridgend Business Forum
With over 900 members, Bridgend Business Forum acts as a collective voice for businesses in Bridgend County Borough. Since 2009 it has represented companies of every size across all sectors. The Forum is active in responding to local issues and developments, and provides it members with:
- a collective voice
- excellent opportunities for networking and the sharing of best practice
- a regular programme of business events
- training courses
- sponsorship opportunities
- annual business awards
Business Zone
This section of the Council’s website provides information for local businesses, including:
Visitor Economy
Business Support
Organising an Event
Traffic Signs for Tourist Destinations
Listing your business on this website
We are keen to include relevant accommodation, attractions and activity on this website to showcase what the County offers to potential visitors. To find out more, please contact our Destination Management Officer, Alice Brown.
01656 815332
alice.brown@bridgend.gov.uk
If your business has a listing on visitwales.com you will automatically appear on this website. For helpful tips on making the most of your listing download the new industry guide - "Top tips for an epic listing"