Marketing Strategy for Afan Forest Park, Wales



The Afan Valley north of Port Talbot is an old mining area that has been extensively reclaimed with one of the earliest reclamation schemes in Wales. The Afan Forest Park was designated as a Tourism Growth Area and has become a focus for outdoor activity with some of the best mountain biking trails in the country.We were asked by the Forestry Commission and Neath Port Talbot CBC to provide an interpretation strategy, a marketing strategy - and a visitor management strategy for the Park. The marketing plan set out specific objectives and reviewed product development requirements before developing a series of recommendations for branding, promotional literature, e-marketing, events, monitoring and implementation. The interpretation strategy defined four target groups; activity tourists, family visitors, local residents and special interest groups. Interpretive objectives were clarified and 15 interpretive projects were set out. In 2004, we were commissioned to look at a similar range of issues in relation to Cyfarthfa Castle and the nearby iron blast furnace site at Mertyr Tydfil. Our task was to prepare a long term strategy for visitor management and interpretation of this complex site, looking at a range of options.