Touring North Wales with Xiaomanyc
Arieh has up to 17 million followers. When he offered Celticos the chance to design a tour of Wales for him, I jumped at it! I knew what I wanted: to connect him with the local Welsh community. Instead of the usual tourist attractions, I wanted to show him what North Wales is really like through the people who live here.
The itinerary included:
Tasting traditional Welsh food and local specialities
Rugby with the professional team RGC, in Wales's favourite sport
A boat trip on the Menai Strait with Rib Ride
Farming, meeting the well-known YouTube farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, which was a highlight
Community: rowing out to North Stack with a local Welsh rowing team, and a walk around our local town, Caernarfon, which has the highest population of Welsh speakers
I wanted Arieh to see Wales as the fun, welcoming country it is. Visit Wales's campaign sums it up with "hwyl", our Welsh word for "fun". Arieh did a great job of capturing his time here. He's a real pro!
What struck me most was how easily Arieh connected with Welsh people. He worked hard at learning our language and made real progress in just four weeks, which showed his respect for our culture. We were also lucky with the weather, which showed Wales at its best!
All the way through, Arieh was humble and kind. When it came to editing, he asked everyone who took part for feedback, so that they all felt fairly represented and happy with the final film. That says a lot about his values and how seriously he takes telling other people's stories fairly.
How It Was Received
The videos have done really well:
1.5 million views in just three months
Overwhelmingly positive response from viewers worldwide
Comments praising Arieh's respectful approach to Welsh culture
A boost for tourism, with many people saying he's "putting Wales on the map"
People clearly responded to Arieh's real interest in our language and culture. He wanted to show Wales in a good light, and the response went beyond what any of us expected!
Looking Forward
Working with Xiaoma has been a huge privilege. The warm welcome he got from our community and the response from around the world have been brilliant, and I hope Wales welcomes Arieh back again. We won't forget it, and I don't think the millions who watched will either. Diolch Arieh!
