People in Wales are creating witty travel posters encouraging visitors to stay away
- In an attempt to discourage nonessential travel to Wales and give people a laugh, Owen Williams designed witty posters.
- One colorful poster reads "North Wales (Better Not)" while another one says, "Wales. Don't even think about it."
- With Easter weekend and warmer temperatures, the posters went viral, reminding residents and travelers to stay home.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Colorful vintage posters are designed to entice travelers to a destination — but these posters of Wales have the opposite effect.
The goal is to discourage visitors.
While the United Kingdom remains in lockdown, there have been reports of day-trippers still visiting the country.
In an attempt to discourage travel and give people a laugh, Owen Williams designed witty posters.
Using vintage posters from iconic landmarks around Wales, he added punchy captions urging people not to visit the country.
"It's been incredibly funny," Williams told Insider. "It's given me some of the biggest belly laughs I've had in a long time, which, frankly, at this point in time, we could all do with a laugh."
One colorful poster reads "North Wales (Better Not)" while another one says, "Wales. Don't even think about it."
The challenge has spread across Twitter through the hashtag #DontVisitWalesChallenge
The idea sparked when the country's tourism site, Visit Wales, tweeted out: "Visit Wales. Later."
"I thought, 'You could have a lot more fun with this,'" Williams said. He also prompted others to take part in the design challenge, and they delivered.
This past weekend, thanks to warmer temperatures and a holiday, the message to stay home became stronger. Williams republished his posters and "they sort of caught fire instantly."
Thousands of people have responded by creating their own designs.
Williams said it's great to make people laugh in these challenging times
"You need that way to detach your brain from the insanity of what we're going through right now," he said.
The trend has spread to other cities where people are discouraging visitors, including London.
Williams said it's a playful way to get across a serious message.
"There's nothing I can do to spark change from a policy point of view or a legislative point of view," he said. "What I can do is inject foolishness into it."
- Read more:
- People under lockdown are recreating first-class flights inside their laundry rooms
- A woman is traveling around her bedroom by sharing the stories behind souvenirs she's collected from all around the world
- 5 travelers told us why they decided to stay abroad instead of traveling back home
- A 22-year-old is using her sled dogs to deliver groceries to her elderly neighbors in rural Maine