Where It Began

The North East Wales Tourism Ambassador Scheme originally started in 2013. The scheme was formed to strengthen links between stakeholders working within the tourism industry. Businesses from Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham were offered the opportunity to attend learning journeys, events, and training workshops and were encouraged to source local produce, submit data to measure tourism economic impacts and promote the wider area.

Denbighshire had approximately 40 North East Wales Tourism Ambassadors but recognised the need to evaluate the scheme and research new ways of managing and expanding the offer.

After researching other Ambassador Schemes across the UK and further afield; it was decided to have a blended learning approach – both online and face to face activity. Thanks to funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government) and Denbighshire County Council the refreshed Denbighshire Tourism Ambassador Scheme was formed in 2017.

The existing scheme provides people with training about Denbighshire’s tourism offer to create a baseline knowledge about the area’s natural and cultural resources, in order to improve the overall visitor and local experience. The scheme offers a variety of online training modules on a variety of themes (the first of its kind for Ambassadors in Wales) and a host of online resources as well as the opportunity for Ambassadors to get together and attend learning journeys across the wider North East Wales region.

The new scheme launched in 2019 and continues to grow with a range of Ambassadors including local people, accommodation and attraction providers, shops, pubs, students, library staff, tourism information staff, tour guides and volunteers.