REBECCA EVANS AM, Mid and West Wales Assembly Member, has welcomed a new initiative from the Welsh Government to attract foreign investors to Wales.

The new initiative encourages potential investors to “Just Ask Wales” when considering their investment opportunities and comes on the back of impressive figures for 2012/13.

The number of inward investment projects attracted to Wales in 2012/13 increased by 191%, while the number of jobs created and safeguarded in Wales increased by almost 100%.

Welcoming the campaign, Mrs Evans said:

“With global economy continuing to struggle, it is refreshing to see such strong figures for inward investment in Wales from the Welsh Labour Government. I am pleased to see that the Welsh Government is not resting on its laurels and is continuing to seek new ways in which to attract further inward investment and jobs.

“Inward investment is an important catalyst for jobs and growth in Wales – as is supporting and encouraging the development of our home-grown enterprises.”

The new marketing campaign is part of the Welsh Government drive to attract more foreign-owned companies looking to grow and expand to consider a future in Wales.

The year-long campaign will initially focus on London, South East England, and the M4 corridor. It will include advertising at central London Underground stations, as well as rail stations at Paddington, Liverpool Street, Heathrow, Woking, Slough, Reading and Bracknell.

A suite of sector-specific posters and marketing materials have been created for the “Just Ask Wales” campaign, directing businesses to the new justask.wales.com website. The campaign reinforces and compliments existing sector marketing activities. Advertising will also appear in newspapers such as the Financial Times, Telegraph and London Standard.

Launching the campaign, Minister for Economy Edwina Hart said: “The foreign direct investment market is extremely competitive so in order to build on our successes and gain a competitive advantage, we have to differentiate what Wales has to offer.

“Our “Just Ask Wales” campaign emphasises our strengths and focusses on customer requirements – what companies need in order to grow and how we can deliver for them. We are launching it in the South East of England as our proximity to London is a major advantage for many businesses.

“Among the other key elements we are highlighting are the skills, support, space and speed of decision making in Wales – as well as the number of highly successful companies already based here that have benefited from Welsh Government support.

“We have a clear, coherent and consistent message running across the campaign based on our ability to deliver, our ambition to attract trade and investment to Wales and the can-do attitude of the workforce and Government.”

The integrated marketing and communications campaign will run alongside the programme to develop international trade which supports businesses to access overseas markets. It includes traditional paid-for print, poster sites, digital activity, email, and will be supported by sector specific business and media events in London and Cardiff at dates to be announced.