The first produce market of the year also brought out The Great, The Good and the blog photographer to mark the opening of Rhuthun/Ruthin's new tourist information centre. Indeed, in something that centre architect Elwyn Edwards undoubtedly felt was a coup, on duty was none other than the secretary of state for Wales who just happens to be the local MP. The fact that there was a (modest) crowd indicates the importance locals have placed on this venture.
In fact, this is no TIC. It's actually known as the Canolfan Ymwelwyr Rhuthun Visitor Centre. It sends out some positive signals that Rhuthun:
When the new craft centre opened as a centre for the applied arts, we lost our TIC. It seemed Rhuthun was not big or important enough to support such a thing. This was an economic and a financial decision based upon the reality that footfall at the old craft centre TIC was low. Its abandonment nevertheless caused a stir and its replacement, an unstaffed tourist information point at the new craft centre, was criticised as inadequate.
The fact that our newly opened visitor centre is to be run by volunteers probably proves that our decision makers were right in terms of being unable to support a staffed TIC. But all credit to the organisers of the new visitor centre for the sheer determination to get this up and running. The downside of relying on volunteers is that there will inevitably be periods of time when there will be no one available to keep it open. This sends totally the wrong message to visitors and might even be counter-productive in the long term. That is why the centre is pushing hard for as many local volunteers as possible to ensure the door remains open.
The other issues facing the visitor centre from Day 1 as we understand it are the:
- Should be counted as a grown-up tourist town
- Is open to and welcoming towards visitors
- Can *again* pull together for the common good
TICs are expensive to run. They used to attract grants from North Wales Tourism in exchange for a high degree of regulation. At its closure, the Rhuthun TIC was reported as costing over £30,000 p.a. Did the council get value from this sum? No. A TIC's job was to keep people in the locality by extending stays. The reality at Rhuthun, unlike Llangollen, was that Rhuthun's generated virtually no bed bookings whatsoever. Rhuthun was but a pit stop on the Birkenhead to Dolgellau trunk road, as visitors searched for something on their way to country more rugged.
The other issue Rhuthun's TIC faced was that it was staffed by the craft centre itself. It was obvious that there were tensions between the two rôles staff were asked to fulfil. The TIC almost became a distraction. As the new craft centre was mooted, so there transferred budget from the TIC to the craft centre, sealing Rhuthun TIC's fate. |
When the new craft centre opened as a centre for the applied arts, we lost our TIC. It seemed Rhuthun was not big or important enough to support such a thing. This was an economic and a financial decision based upon the reality that footfall at the old craft centre TIC was low. Its abandonment nevertheless caused a stir and its replacement, an unstaffed tourist information point at the new craft centre, was criticised as inadequate.
The fact that our newly opened visitor centre is to be run by volunteers probably proves that our decision makers were right in terms of being unable to support a staffed TIC. But all credit to the organisers of the new visitor centre for the sheer determination to get this up and running. The downside of relying on volunteers is that there will inevitably be periods of time when there will be no one available to keep it open. This sends totally the wrong message to visitors and might even be counter-productive in the long term. That is why the centre is pushing hard for as many local volunteers as possible to ensure the door remains open.
The other issues facing the visitor centre from Day 1 as we understand it are the:
- Unit is only available on a short lease. Although currently there are alternatives available throughout Rhuthun, none offers such a strategic and key location in the very heart of the town it looks to support.
- Knotty problem of forward funding. This appears fragile and dependent upon grants from public bodies. Are these sustainable? It would be so nice to hear of businesses prepared to invest in this scheme, to show their support for the greater good of the town which, in turn, would benefit everyone. Only a handful have thus far come forward.
Some still think the craft centre has a fully functioning TIC...