St David’s Day is an Opportunity to Share Wales with the World

Wales has an extraordinary opportunity to build on its excellent reputation as a destination for events tourism.  

We have the landscapes, the culture, and the rich heritage that visitors are looking for, but what we need now is a stronger, more coordinated effort to bring it all together. This means better collaboration between government, the tourism and hospitality sectors to build on all our collective great work to establish Wales as a global brand.  

Events have a vital role to play in this, and St David’s Day stands out to me as a good example of an opportunity that we are simply not making enough of.  The fact that March 1 welcomes the spring in our minds means that our national day can truly become a symbol of hope that this change of season brings across the world. 

Every year on March 1 Wales comes into its own. The countryside is at its best, with daffodils lining our roadsides and villages, and there is a natural sense of pride in our national identity.  We gently commemorate this day in our own way, but even that is largely inward facing, passing by with little more than a nod outside of Wales itself.   

Compare that to St Patrick’s Day, which is an international celebration that draws visitors to Ireland in huge numbers and generates millions in tourism and hospitality spend. Dublin has transformed it into a major event with a global reach that aligns properly to the brand Ireland narrative. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be thinking just as ambitiously about St David’s Day.    

This is not about replacing or undervaluing the fantastic events that already take place in Wales. The Eisteddfod, the Royal Welsh Show, and the many other festivals across the country are hugely important. But we need a joined-up approach that links these events to a wider strategy and the Wales narrative, so that we become a year-round destination. The potential is there. If we can put events at the heart of establishing a stronger, more consistent message about Wales as a place of adventure, history, and culture, I am confident that we will attract higher volumes of visitors from both home and abroad.  An exciting and coordinated programme of national events on St Davids Day will attract visitors from across the UK and internationally. 

We also need to think beyond the traditional summer season. I was reminded of this recently while working at our hotel in Dolgellau.  My wife and I love to walk and enjoy our favourite small pub on the estuary, and it was here we met an American couple from Atlanta, Tim and Joan. It was January, not a time which most people associate with tourism, yet they were here to explore Wales, learn about their ancestry, and immerse themselves in the landscape, our people and culture. Their visit reinforced something I have long believed – there is a huge market for people who want to experience Wales in all its seasons, whether that is through heritage, outdoor adventure, or simply connecting with local people and places. 

Other countries do this exceptionally well. Scotland and Ireland have built their brands around their culture, history, and sense of place. They have made it easy for visitors to engage with those stories and their own place in our history. In Wales, we have all the ingredients, but we need to bring them together in a way that makes sense to international audiences. That means stronger destination marketing, but it also means giving people reasons to visit at different times of the year, whether that is through major events, winter festivals, or adventure-based tourism. 

It also requires closer collaboration between the public and private sectors. As a business, we can put on our own events, create experiences, and showcase what makes Wales special, but to make a real impact, there needs to be a coordinated approach that supports and amplifies these efforts. It is about getting the messaging right, ensuring that what we do locally feeds into a bigger picture that positions Wales as a world-class destination. 

The opportunity is there, and the industry is ready to support it. With bold thinking and a commitment to working together, we can build a stronger tourism economy that benefits businesses, communities, and visitors alike. St David’s Day could be the inspiration for something better.