The Visitor Giving project aims to prove whether there is a desire among visitors and businesses to test out various methods of raising money towards local projects.

Visitor Giving is a scheme whereby visitors make a small voluntary donation that goes towards local projects. These donations are usually made by adding a few pounds to a restaurant, accommodation or activity bill.

The emphasis will be on working with different types of businesses and trying a range of collection methods in order to learn from the process. If successful the pilot project will provide a platform on which a permanent project can be built.

An event was held in January 2016 to present the concept to the tourism industry in Llanberis. This was well attended and gave us the confidence to develop the brand, website and marketing material required to launch it in June 2016. A management committee was established which included representatives from the private sector and the Snowdon Partnership, and 3 causes were prioritised. These included 2 footpath schemes and an outdoor skills training programme for young people.

The project is ongoing and expanding. The main achievements are as follows:

• The Snowdonia Giving brand has been established and is now well recognised in Gwynedd. There are a series of promotional films, a website and active social media presence.
• 60 tourism businesses across Gwynedd, Anglesey and Conwy are members of the scheme and are using various methods to raise funding. The types of businesses include restaurants, food producers, attractions and activity providers.
• In January 2017 Snowdonia Giving announced they had raised £3500. This first round of money went towards funding an accredited course, ran by the Snowdonia Society, and taught traditional conservation skills on the mountains for 48 young people.£3,500 donated to the Snowdonia Society in order to deliver 40 training programmes in outdoor skills for young people.
• £10,500 has been raised to date for various projects in Snowdonia. Snowdonia National Park have generously agreed to match Snowdonia Giving’s total pound for pound, which means this project will now receive £21,000.