Are Scots taking the Mickey out of Wales at our Disney shop?; Love spoons make way for tartan at Welsh gift centre.Byline: ERYL CRUMP THE ``Tartan Army'' has taken over Wales -on the other side of the Atlantic. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. businessman Scottish goods are dominating the shelves of a Welsh gift shop in Florida. Tartan ties, scarves and even a map of the Scottish clans fill the window of the Magic of Wales shop at Disney's Epcot Centre. The centre is part of the hugely popular Disneyworld complex,near Orlando. St Asaph-born businessman Dr David Williams said the shop gives a bad impression of Wales. And he claims an opportunity to boost Welsh business in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. is being overlooked. Dr Williams, who is chairman of the Welsh North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Chamber of Commerce, said: ``I visit the park regularly and have seen the standard of the shop deteriorate. ``When I last visited before Christmas there was tartan all over the place with very little to promote Wales. Frankly it is embarrassing and pathetic at present. ``Fifteen million high-income visitors pass through the Epcot centre every year and,although the shop is tucked away in the UK pavilion,it is there and is the perfect place to raise awareness of Wales. ``There is tremendous opportunity for Welsh business here but it is being lost.'' Dr Williams is anxious to see the situation reversed. He says the organisation is facilitating discussions with the Disney organisation to revitalise the operation. ``We are keen to see a stronger Welsh presence in the shop and meetings are planned to take place next month. We hope that Welsh companies, who produce high quality crafts and other goods, will be interested in supplying the shop.'' Last night Disney officials in the USA confirmed there were no Welsh products on sale at present in the Magic of Wales store. Spokesman Jason Lasecki said it was due to the recent retirement of the shop's supplier. He said: ``We are exploring various options and hope to rectify the situation real soon.'' Set up 18 years ago, the shop originally sold jewellery, pottery, and Welsh handmade gifts. Although only small, the Welsh shop has enjoyed the best sales amongst all the United Kingdom attractions. Independent travel expert Richard Dixon said the Magic of Wales shop is located in the United Kingdom section of the World Showcase pavilions at Epcot. ``This is one of the smaller pavilions and has very little to entertain visitors. There is no major attraction and unlike most of the other pavilions there's also no educational film on offer either. ``The success of this one shop is therefore all the more remarkable,'' he said. The Development Board for Rural Wales, since absorbed by the Welsh Development Agency The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) was an Assembly Sponsored Public Body (ASPB) established in 1976 to encourage business development and investment in Wales. These responsibilities have since been devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government's Department of Economy and Transport. , opened the Magic of Wales gift shop at the top visitor attraction in 1986. It hoped the move would open up international markets for craft and gift producers and raise awareness of holiday opportunities in Wales. A WDA WDA Wireless Digital Assistant WDA Workforce Development Area WDA Welsh Development Agency (UK government) WDA Workforce Development Agency (Singapore) WDA Wildlife Disease Association spokesperson said: ``The former Development Board for Rural Wales created the Magic of Wales shop at the Epcot Centre with the Disney organisation as,at the time, the United Kingdom area of the centre did not have any Welsh representation. ``The Disney organisation was totally responsible for purchasing the craft and gift products from Wales, although the DBRW would promote and introduce Welsh companies and products to the organisation. The contract ended in 1998 and since then the Disney organisation has had sole responsibility for the shop and its products.'' For many years the WDA and tourism authorities sponsored an exchange programme in which two young Welsh graduates spent a year working at the shop learning about Disney's marketing techniques. Any company interested in supplying the Magic of Wales shop should contact David Williams bye-mail. His address is predicent@wales chamber.org CAPTION(S): Millions of people every year flock to Disneyworld to see Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse Famous character of Walt Disney's animated cartoons. He was introduced in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first animated cartoon with sound. Mickey was created by Disney, who also provided his high-pitched voice, and was usually drawn by the studio's head animator, and his friends |
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