Wales admired by holidaymakers but overlooked when booking, research finds

Nation.Cymru staff

Potential visitors admire Wales’ scenery but can struggle to plan a holiday here, with uncertainty over transport and costs leading them to consider other destinations, research commissioned by Visit Wales suggests.

Interviews with travellers from the UK, US and Germany found that positive impressions of Wales did not always translate into a clear idea of where to stay, what to do or how to get around.

The report, published this week, recommends putting more emphasis on Welsh culture and providing clearer itineraries to help people turn an interest in visiting into a booking.

Researchers conducted 45-minute interviews with 84 people in January and February, with 28 participants from each country. All were selected because they would consider Wales as a holiday destination.

The study explores how people make holiday decisions rather than measuring how common their views are across the wider population.

Participants associated Wales with green landscapes, mountains and outdoor activities. But researchers found these images were less often accompanied by an understanding of how to organise a trip.

While Scotland brought to mind the Highlands and Edinburgh, and Ireland suggested Dublin, Guinness and the Wild Atlantic Way, Wales lacked an equally clear combination of places and experiences in participants’ minds.

Questions included where to base themselves, how many days they would need and whether they could visit the main attractions without complicated travel arrangements.

Planning a trip

Uncertainty about transport added to those difficulties, particularly for younger people without cars, overseas visitors combining several destinations and older travellers looking for straightforward journeys.

Participants questioned whether public transport would be sufficient, how far apart attractions were and whether hiring a car would be necessary.

“It is quite expensive to hire a car… that’s such an extra cost,” one younger UK participant said.

The report distinguishes uncertainty about transport from evidence that transport itself prevents visits. It argues that unclear information can encourage people to choose somewhere they find easier to plan.

For UK participants, the cost of a Welsh holiday also faced competition from cheap European flights and package deals.

“Once you’ve paid for accommodation and travel it can be quite expensive,” one said.

Another commented: “For that price you could probably get a flight somewhere warm.”

Among US and German participants, Wales was often considered as one stop on a wider holiday rather than the main destination.

The researchers recommend clearer three-to-five-day itineraries, routes showing how places connect and practical guides to different regions.

They also suggest giving greater prominence to experiences distinctive to Wales, including its language, people and heritage. Descriptions such as beautiful, peaceful and natural were appealing, but did not necessarily give travellers a reason to choose Wales over somewhere else.

Visitor experience

Separate research published alongside the interview study suggests that those who do visit often leave with a positive impression.

Among 159 respondents to Visit Wales’ German contact survey who reported taking a holiday here in 2025, 86% rated their experience as excellent and a further 12% as good.

Connecting with nature was a reason for visiting for 70%, while 62% cited culture and heritage.

However, that survey drew on people already in contact with Visit Wales, rather than a representative sample of Germany’s population. The report cautions that their views are likely to be more positive than those of the wider public.

The interview study identifies the challenge as helping prospective visitors picture a complete holiday, with enough practical information to make them confident about booking.

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