Campaigners call for more Welsh language provision at tourist attractions
A Welsh language campaign group has called for tourist attractions to use Welsh across their sites and in promotional material to allow tourism to become an “indigenous trade, rather than a colonial one”.
Cylch yr Iaith, a Gwynedd-based Welsh language pressure group, has gathered evidence from nearly 120 tourist attractions in Wales, and is urging them to be equitable to speakers of both Welsh and English from Wales’ internal market and to use more Welsh.
Howard Huws, Cylch yr Iaith spokesperson on tourism, said: “Out of 114 attractions across Wales that were chosen at random, 58 leaflets were in English only.
“Another 10 had leaflets that contained some Welsh, and 32 were bilingual. Their websites were even less Welsh: 68 were exclusively English, 7 contained some Welsh, and 38 were bilingual.
“This is not due to a technical difficulty. Information technology can easily cope with different languages: indeed, one website offered a choice of several languages, but not Welsh. This is a matter of lack of awareness, or worse, lack of will.
“There is no consistency to be seen in the picture.”
“Not relevant”
Huws continued: “Some attractions in the English-speaking areas of Wales use Welsh in their leaflets and websites, and others in the more Welsh-speaking areas use only English.
“On the whole, leaflets and websites of local authorities and the Government tend to be bilingual, which gives guidance to others: but in too many cases the person who manages tourist attractions and enterprises in Wales seems to be from the opinion that the Welsh language is not relevant.
“It is as if they are unaware that a good percentage of their visitors speak Welsh, and that their numbers could be increased if they used Welsh to appeal to them.”
The campaign group say that by ignoring the Welsh language, these attractions lose a marketing opportunity, and give the impression that tourism in Wales is essentially English.
They describe the current situation as “trade carried on by the non-Welsh by appealing to the non-Welsh, for the benefit of the non-Welsh: which they say “doesn’t make financial or cultural sense”.
“Indigenous trade”
Huws added: “The visitor’s experience – of whatever language – could be so much richer and better if it also included the Welsh language, which is the unique thing for Wales.
“It is not necessary to spend much extra in order to correct this deficiency. Most of the cost is printing a leaflet or creating a website: very little more must be spent to ensure that the content is bilingual.
“Doing so now, ready for the next visitor season, could pay off well financially and in terms of improving the image of tourism in Wales as an indigenous trade, rather than a colonial one.”
“And we have to ask: where is the Welsh Language Commissioner, and the local language initiatives, in this?
“Isn’t part of their task to promote the use of the Welsh language in the world of commerce?
“Wouldn’t it be easy for them to encourage and assist initiatives that want to attract more Welsh speakers?
“And the regional tourism associations themselves: what do they think about this? Do they have any thoughts? Or are they willing for some of their members to give the impression that the Welsh language has no place in the visitor trade here?
“It is time for those responsible for the future of tourism in Wales to correct this unsatisfactory situation if they want tourism to be part of our way of life.”
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Good points. See also the (lack of) availability of Welsh-language menus in pubs/cafés/restaurants.
Small private businesses tho…..that’s a whole different ball game!!
Small business’s operate on small margins, so why spend money unnecessarily?
Why do you think it is unnecessary or expensive? If the staff speak Welsh they can easily translate a menu. I am delighted to have discovered a small restaurant in Carmarthen where Welsh is encouraged – Blakeman’s Welsh Pantry – and I am happy to give it my custom over places which don’t make the effort.
On holiday last summer I visited Aberdyfi and Aberystwyth. Both were strong Welsh speaking communities when I was younger. It made me so sad to see that they have now been completely linguistically and culturally cleansed. Very few (if any) Welsh language signs, absolutely no Welsh produce or products, menus or signage. Welsh people have mostly been driven out of these areas. No one can be forced to speak a language but if I go to France I expect people to speak French. Wales is a bi-lingual country so everyone should be able to live in either language everywhere in… Read more »
Bilingualism in Cymru actually undermines Cymraeg.
Biwtiful coment.
Correct, but our language has been polluted by English, not ‘cleansed’,
I am Welsh and my first language is English, like the vast majority here in Wales.
YOU’RE A TRAITOR. NOT WELSH. I really hope bad things happen to you
Why was there need to comment this? Do you really want to be decked that much?
I am from Birmingham, and visit Wales often, especially north/central Wales, and spent my younger years in Barmouth ( I am 73), I was recently in Aberystwyth and trips out to other attractions, I must say the Welsh language was everywhere, it was no.1,, also things where in English, also remember north/central Wales is the top destination for people from Brum and the black country, who keep the economy going!!, if you don’t want our money, close the border, David..
One of the egg and chips brigade
The findings are unsurprising. I am often saddened by the number of websites for businesses in Cymru that not only have an English only website, but also fail to use a national TLD (.cymru or .wales – though I personally think that .wales is superfluous). The legislation is also at fault, neither the Deddf yr Iaith Gymraeg 1993 nor the Mesur Iaith Gymraeg 2011 place a universal obligation on bodies or businesses to provide services and information in Cymraeg, and the legislation demands that a bureaucratic process is entered into to determine what a business or service is legally required… Read more »
Wales is in a Faustian pact with tourism — it has become the staple industry in certain regions, and the revenue it generates (some of which doesn’t stay in Wales) is vastly outweighed by the negative impacts, of which environmental degradation (e.g. Y Wyddfa), occasional acts of vandalism (e.g.Dinorwig), and the issue covered in this article are among the most significant. Tourism needs a major refactoring, and a different mindset.
If you want anything that Cymru can offer tourists it’s on offer in other parts of the UK. Apart from Cymraeg. It’s our USP – Unique Selling Point The presence of Cymraeg both seen and heard is a advantage to the tourism industry. Whoever is providing the tourist experience, being able promote that experience as being different and unique is an advantage. Ultimately if we rule out those tourism providers with a lack of business acumen and imagination we’re left with the prejudiced that plead poverty and other false reasoning up to those that had hissy fits when Bannau Brycheiniog… Read more »
Excellent idea and long overdue, when I travel I expect to see and hear the indigenous language
Wales without the Welsh language being both seen and heard everywhere might as well just be another provincial part of England. I want to see the Welsh language wherever I go in Wales, just as I expect to see French everywhere in France.
We, the Welsh people, need to start a grassroots movement to produce more Welsh language content so that we can prove that it’s profitable.
If we can spend our own money to invest into Welsh-language civil society to prove its economic feasibility, maybe more and more companies will jump onto it.
Cytuno http://www.gwynedd.cymru or http://www. Croesocymraeg.cymru neu http://www.crwydro.co.uk ayb.. all mono lingual (Welsh) sites with a multi lingual translation button. Why the Welsh Gov through croeso.cymru (visit wales) or Eryri mynydd a mor (Gwynedd Council) use tax payers money to promote mono lingual (English only websites without a translation button on them) is beyond me! The star ratings need an overhaul. Last time I bothered to check the Gwynedd Councils Eryri mynydd a mor site, they were pushing 90% English only websites! A disturbing use of public funds to trash the Welsh language communities rhag eich cywilydd.