Hot on the heels of being granted Objective 1 funding, Pembrokeshire Tourism has appointed its first chief executive officer. The association now has the resources to make a real impact on the future of tourism in the county.
"Pembrokeshire Tourism was set up some time ago as a trade association to campaign for a stronger, more sustainable tourism industry in Pembrokeshire. We had limited funding and were dependent upon voluntary officials so we could not do nearly as much as we wanted to," explained chairman Nick Evans
"Now that we have been given the resources, we are determined to help build a competitive, dynamic and profitable tourism industry that makes a real contribution to the Pembrokeshire economy as a whole.
"As well as appointing a chief executive, we will be recruiting two other employees to handle administration and membership issues. Our members will see a significant improvement in effectiveness and efficiency," he continued.
The new chief executive is Maureen Prentice, who moved to Pembrokeshire in 2000. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Maureen emigrated to the UK in the 1980s. At the start of her career, she was a journalist on Zimbabwe's national daily newspaper. She also studied part-time to obtain a diploma in marketing management with the South African Institute of Marketing Management. She ran her own PR consultancy in London before coming to Pembrokeshire. Prior to that, she worked for full service advertising and PR agencies which specialised in travel and tourism marketing.
Commenting on her appointment, Maureen said: "Our first task must be to build membership of Pembrokeshire Tourism so we can make sure the benefits of this fantastic Objective 1 opportunity are fully exploited. It is part of Pembrokeshire Tourism's business plan to become fully representative of the county's tourism industry.
"When we have built our membership up to an acceptable level, our priority will be to identify ways and means of lengthening the tourist season and improving the income of businesses involved in tourism," she continued.
"At present, the tourism industry in Pembrokeshire is very fragmented. Only by working together can we have the muscle needed to be competitive, contemporary and effective."
The Objective 1 project is formally described as 'Identification and Development of New Tourism Products and Packages in Pembrokeshire'. It aims to assist small businesses working within the tourism industry to become more competitive by developing a collective approach to build a more sustainable future. Its focus is to develop a solid tourism base by linking up the tourism providers with agencies such as the Pembrokeshire County Council and the Regional Tourism Partnership to create sustainable packages that will add value to the existing tourism product.
The project is worth around £100,000 per year for three years. The Objective 1 grant is match-funded by various partners, including the South West Wales Tourism Partnership and Pembrokeshire Tourism, and is sponsored by the PBI.
Anyone interested in finding out more about Pembrokeshire Tourism or becoming a member should email [email protected]">[email protected] or phone 07768 077829.