II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

75125000

II.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS code:

UKL

Main site or place of performance:

North Wales

II.2.4) Description of the procurement

Welsh Government requires the development and delivery of regional tourism communication plans, to support Welsh Government’s efforts to promote Wales globally to influential B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2C (B2C) markets.

Successful communications rely, in part, on relationships built with trusted partners and stakeholders within destinations and regions. Visit Wales recognises that this work can be undertaken as supplementary to the mainstream communications, online and offline, that the proposed contractors already have in place e.g. industry news, training facilitation, events, webinars, etc.

The stakeholders to benefit from the communication plan are described below:

- Suppliers, including accommodation, attractions, tours, experiences and events need a way to connect their product seamlessly with a diverse range of channels.

- Distributors, for example, Online Travel Agencies such as Expedia and offline international tour operators such as Authentic Vacations. They need access to real-time pricing and availability, alongside content generated by local experts and supported by data.

- Destination Marketing Organisations, who need a platform that will support their efforts to digitally enable local businesses to reach new audiences and gain a clear view of market insights.

- Consumers, in particular, both domestic and international travellers interested in visiting Wales. They need to simply discover and pre-book great travel ideas and itineraries across Wales resulting from a more effective business-to-business platform offering improved product distribution.

The solution will require:

- A good understanding / experience of the tourism industry, the different regions of Wales and the Destination Management Organisations and other membership organisations within those regions, which support tourism across Wales.

- A good understanding / experience of delivering tourism destination plans. A good understanding / experience of negotiating different priorities to meet regional objectives across Wales.

- A good understanding / experience of collaborating with both Private and Public sectors including each of the local authorities’ priorities for tourism and ability to effectively engage stakeholders.

- A good understanding /experience of the existing tourism industry marketing opportunities available through Welsh Government’s Visit Wales team to improve economic benefits to the regions.

The project deliverables would include:

- A one-off communication delivery plan;

- A suite of deliverable and measurable KPIs for engagement and education of available platforms/opportunities through Welsh Government;

- Regular reporting mechanisms available for the client.

The successful contractor should also take into account;

- How existing regional plans can form part of a wider pan Wales communication plan.

- Identify skills needs required as a “train the trainer” approach to delivery of the plan.

- The suite of bilingual assets required for educational purposes with methods to implement

Whereas successful suppliers will need to develop the most appropriate bank of educational assets required for their region, there will be a suite of training and educational materials made available at a national level on award, including virtual educational content from leading experts of the platforms, desk instructions and best practice case studies, as part of the educational toolkits.