A Norwegian travel writer and tourism expert has been revealed as the successful candidate for the ‘Best job in Wales’ and will now spend one month visiting 30 of the best hotels the country has to offer to help define the famous Welsh welcome.
Adventurous 26-year-old Lisa Stentvedt, who runs travel blog Fjords and Beaches, will fly over from the small village of Aurland in the world-famous fjords of Western Norway to explore every region of Wales where she’ll use her expertise to research what puts ‘the welcome in the hillside’ for the Welsh Rarebits Collection.
And test the company’s claim that it offers ‘the best welcome in Wales’.
Lisa was one of many applicants who responded to a job advertisement by Welsh Rarebits for ‘a skilled story teller’ to stay in the luxury hotels owned by its members.
During her month-long stay she will test award winning bedrooms, some Michelin Starred meals and state-of-the-art leisure facilities, sharing her experiences of each online.
With a decade’s experience of travel writing, and previous work as Flåm Visitor Centre Booking Manager in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Walt Disney World Cultural Representative, Lisa quickly stood out as the candidate of choice.
Her enthusiasm to return to Wales because she received such a warm welcome living in Pembrokeshire as a foreign exchange student for one year also set her apart.
“After finishing school in Norway I moved to London for three years to study law and then moved to the USA to work in Walt Disney World in Florida, which was an absolute dream. But I never forgot about my amazing year in Wales,” Lisa said.
“Since the autumn of 2016 I have worked at the Visitor Centre in Flåm, which has just 400 inhabitants but welcomes more than one million visitors every year who travel across the world to see the Norwegian fjords. It’s our job to make sure they receive a warm welcome, especially when it’s cold outside, something I am very passionate about too.
“As somebody who never wants to stop exploring, I’m dedicated to finding the perfect places to stay and sharing my own experiences and advice with other travellers.
“I was thrilled to hear that I’d been chosen by Welsh Rarebits to visit the hotels in their collection and write about the welcome in Wales.”
However, Lisa will be taking a rather unusual route to get here, as she explains;
“First, I’ll be writing from Bali for two months before I head off to Australia for a few weeks, and then I’m extremely excited about coming back to Wales.
“It’s a great opportunity to see more of the country I fell in love with as a teenager and experience the wonderful croeso again.”
Mike Morgan, Co-Owner and Director of The Welsh Rarebits Collection, added, “Visitors to Wales often say that the warm welcome they receive here is a key reason that they visit our country.
“It’s famous throughout the world, as Lisa’s own experience proves. Our members take pride in receiving guests from across the globe to enjoy the inimitable Welsh ‘Croeso’ and we believe they offer the best welcome in Wales.
“We advertised our rather unusual role which will help us define what makes the perfect ‘Welsh welcome’ and it was difficult to pick just one successful applicant because the standard was so high.
“Lisa really stood out because of her industry credentials, experience and enthusiasm. We are very excited to have the opportunity to welcome her back to Wales.”
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