2020: Wales’ Year of Outdoors

2020 is our invitation to visitors and Wales residents to celebrate the greatest outdoors. We’re asking people 

• to check in to our hotels; our campsites and our cottages. 
• to open their door and discover attractions, activities, landscapes and coastlines they haven’t yet experienced. 

We’re encouraging visits to different corners of the country throughout the year, as feeling good has no season. 

Outdoor experiences have always been at the heart of global travel. Today, more than ever, we’re developing an awareness of the connections between our experience of travel, the landscape and our sense of place. Whether we’re thinking about interior design, health and wellness or food, we’re “letting the outdoors in”. In doing so, we’re gaining a better understanding of our mental and physical well-being, and of the benefits of a strong connection to nature and the outdoors.

In Wales, there has always been an inherent relationship between people and the outdoors. It’s not only that our landscapes are awe-inspiring; they are steeped in the living history of an ancient language and culture. The stirring emotions evoked by the Welsh outdoors have inspired poets, writers and artists for centuries.

Download your copy of the Year of Outdoors industry guide for more inspiration
 

Campaign ethos and messaging

The overarching concept for the Year of Outdoors campaign positions Wales as a country that offers a “welcome without walls”. The Greatest Outdoors. 

The heart of the campaign aims to express the real Wales.  Not only the tourism product but the welcome and feeling of community, linking the outdoors to health and wellbeing. Cultural events will also be a large part of this year’s campaign.

This is Wales. Check in… is being used as a call to action, inspiring people to “check in to the real Wales”. ‘Check in’ gives endless possibilities for digital usage – people checking in to accommodation, products, activities and landscapes whilst they are in Wales.

The themed year launched on 1 January, showcasing the new ad on TV and Video on Demand.