A Welsh dragon has emerged in central London today to celebrate that North Wales has been listed on the prestigious Lonely Planet ‘Best in Travel 2017’, which highlights the top 10 cities, countries and regions globally to visit in the year ahead.    

Not only has North Wales been recognised as a top region to visit – a huge honour in itself – it is the only destination in the UK to make the cut.

The dragon has been touring Welsh castles since famously breaking the banks at Caerphilly Castle in March, and has attracted a wide range of visitors to experience some of Wales’s most celebrated heritage sites during the 2016 Year of Adventure.  

For one day only – perfectly timed for October half term – it has arrived in London outside the City Information Centre, between St Paul's Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.  Families and tourists are encouraged to stop and marvel at the size of the dragon, and share selfies with the hashtag #findyourepic.

Measuring four metres in length and two metres wide, the colossal creature has reptile-like black and red scales and an outreached claw ready to capture passers-by.    

Wales has enjoyed two record-breaking years with visitor numbers crossing the 10 million mark for the first time in 2014, and record spend from domestic and overseas visitors in 2015. Wales is looking to sustain this performance with the raised profile from international events such as UEFA Euro 2016, and the success of the 2016 Year of Adventure tourism campaign.

Ken Skates, Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, commented: “This is such fantastic news for Wales as our Year of Adventure draws to a close.  Being listed as one of the best in the world by such a well-respected and established publication such as the Lonely Planet is a real coup for North Wales.  

“I’m sure it will make people who haven’t visited before think about Wales as a holiday destination and will also entice those who haven’t visited for a while back to Wales.” 

Fast becoming known as the adventure capital of Europe, North Wales is a playground for thrill seekers, a haven for foodies, a hideout for stargazers and a goldmine for heritage seekers.  With a series of truly world class attractions from high speed zip lining to inland surfing and underground trampolining, the region is home to World Heritage Sites such as Conwy and Caernarfon Castles as well as some of the best walking and cycling in Britain, all set against the spectacular backdrop of the Snowdonia mountains.

The dragon, which was sculpted and moulded before being built out of fibreglass, weighs a whopping one tonne and took a team of 15 six weeks to construct. It was created by Cardiff-based prop design specialists, Wild Creations. 

The significance of the dragon in Welsh culture is believed to date back to Arthurian legend when Merlin had a vision of a red dragon – representing native Britons – fighting a white dragon – the Saxon invaders.  Today the emblem is recognisable all over the world on the green and white background of the Welsh national flag.