Project Overview
This project explores how local communities, and the younger generation can benefit from the recently awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status for the Welsh Slate Landscape.鈥
- To understand how the Slate Landscape鈥檚 World Heritage status affects the younger generation
- To examine local young people鈥檚 feelings of place attachment and place identity in relation to the site
- To explore local young people鈥檚 views on sustainable and regenerative tourism in the area
- To examine the effects of social media and other online content on visitor attitudes and to gain an understanding of how the slate sites are reflected online.鈥
- 20 interviews and a focus group were conducted with local 18鈥25-year-olds from all over the Slate Landscape area (e.g. Dyffryn Nantlle, Bethesda, Abergynolwyn)
- Social media and search engine analysis/ 鈥楴etnography鈥
A number of themes were identified through our engagement with young people, such as History of the Site and Slate, Leisure and Social Aspects to the Site, Cultural Values and Heritage and Employment.
Excerpts from the interviews:
鈥淲hen I was at school, everyone's parents and grandparents had worked in the quarry鈥鈥
鈥淓conomically, you do need more skilled workers in the area... we've got a massive brain听drain in the area鈥
鈥淭he UNESCO status gives us the recognition across the world鈥澨鈥
鈥淟lyn Padarn鈥y hoff le..dwi di byw yma erioed a genai lot o atgofion yma. Lot o hanes a dwi鈥檔 prowd o鈥檙 lle鈥
听鈥鈥淵ou鈥檝e got the pride in the heavy industry, in the quarry, pride in the great strike and the heroic failure鈥
鈥淚 enjoy Slate surfing鈥听risk of breaking your legs鈥听
View on Sustainable Tourism by the participants:听
鈥淢ae鈥檙 cyfleon yn cynnwys mwy o swyddi i bobol lleol a cyfle i hybu鈥檙 Gymraeg鈥
鈥渢wristiaeth cynaliadawy鈥n feddwl cadw swyddi yn lleol a lleihau effaith twristiaeth ar yr economi鈥
鈥渘eeds to be like a symbiosis between the community and the business and the environment.鈥澨
鈥淏eing resourceful (as a tourist) ...perfect for the environment.鈥澨
鈥淐reating areas that bring in visitors. But within a kind of boundary so that the area doesn't get destroyed.鈥
鈥淪ustainable tourism is a kind of tourism that considers sustainability issues sustainability of the environment, sustainability of the economic system, local community there and so on.鈥
The Research Team
Principal Investigators
Co-Investigators
Heat Map
A Heat Map indicating popular places in the Slate Landscape area, based on social media analysis (鈥榯agged鈥 locations on Instagram).
Popular 鈥楽late Landscape鈥 keywords
Keyword/Search Term (More than 300 mentions on both Twitter and Instagram)
- Blaenau Ffestiniog Quarry
- Chwarel
- Cwm pennant
- Dinorwic slate quarry
- Dinorwig quarry
- Dyffryn Nantlle
- Llanberis Quarry
- Llechi Cymru
- Llyn Padarn
- Nantlle Ridge
- Nantlle Valley
- Penrhyn Quarry
- Slate Landscape
- Slate Mines of Wales
- Slate Mining
- Slate quarry
- Snowdonia Slate Trail
Looking ahead/Future research ideas
- Explore the local business community鈥檚 perceptions of the Slate Landscape and the extent to which it has boosted the local economy.
- Examine the older generations鈥 perspective of the Slate Landscape area and its new World Heritage Status.
- Compare the levels of place attachment towards the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Wales, along with their perceived successes by local communities and their impacts on tourism.
If you are interested in collaborating with us, please get in touch with Sara (s.parry@bangor.ac.uk) or Sonya (s.hanna@bangor.ac.uk)