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Ever wondered what tourists would say if they were asked to translate the Welsh village with Britain’s longest name, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?

A group of Chinese visitors suggested it should be called "Word-puzzle Town", "Martian Village" or "The Endless".

Their ideas – and those of millions of Chinese people – are being called upon to help rename 16 places and events of interest in Wales, as part of the UK’s largest ever tourism campaign in China.

Chinese visitors rename Welsh landmarks:

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Wales Coast Path, Snowdonia, Rhossili Bay, Pembrokeshire and the Brecon Beacons all make the list which currently don’t have a Mandarin name. They have been suggested – as part of a wider list of British events and places – to be named by the Chinese for VisitBritain’s new "GREAT names for GREAT Britain" campaign.

It is part of a drive to build on the 196,000 Chinese visitors to Britain last year, 10% increase and the £492m those people spent.

Officials at the agency believe creating Mandarin names for famous sites across the UK will give the Chinese greater affinity with Britain – and so encourage more to choose it as a holiday destination.

In China it is popular to give names to favourite celebrities, places and foods that give a literal description of what Chinese people think about these things. For example, British actor and Sherlock Holmes star, Benedict Cumberbatch, has been affectionately named "Curly Fu". So in a campaign first for a national tourist board, VisitWales and VisitBritain are inviting Chinese tourists to come up with the most fitting, amusing and memorable Mandarin names for some of Wales’ most loved attractions.

Revealed on Friday on VisitBritain’s Chinese social media platforms (Weibo/WeChat), the expanded list of 101 British landmarks featuring in the £1.6m campaign cover a wide range of locations and will be released in groups of ten each week with the process itself lasting ten weeks.

Highlights from Wales’ shortlist include natural wonders such as Pistyll Rhaeadr, Elan Valley and the beautiful landscapes of Snowdonia, as well as Freshwater West, the famous beach on the Pembrokeshire coast which featured predominantly in the recent Robin Hood and Harry Potter films.

But it’s not just traditional visitor attractions the tourism bodies would like the Chinese to rename; British people, things and places have great resonance in China and across the world, so Abergavenny Food Festival, Castell Coch, Hay Festival and Quay House are also on the list.

A joint VisitBritain, UKVI and Home Office branded print and "out of home" advertising campaign will run alongside the naming venture, introducing notable places and people of interest and inviting people to get involved in the naming process.

Manon Antoniazzi, chief executive of Visit Wales, said: “We hope this initiative will give potential visitors more of a connection with the UK and Wales. Feeling an affinity with a country is an important factor when people are making their holiday choices and we need to develop this affinity with every market we are targeting.

“Wales’ history, countryside, food and unique character all appeal to the Chinese market and we look forward to welcoming more visitors from China in the near future.”

New global brand survey results also suggest that perceptions of Britain in China have significantly improved over the last year.

Chinese aspirations to visit Britain if "money was no object" have climbed into the top four for the first time. Even more impressive is the fact the Chinese rank us higher than ever before for our "tourism" offer, placing Britain second out of 50 nations polled.

All the new Chinese names are due to be unveiled next March. In the meantime speakers of Mandarin are being asked to make suggestions via the social media site Twitter, with the hash tag #greatnames.

A Welsh Government spokesman said between 2009 and 2013 an annual average of some 5,000 visitors came to Wales from China.

“Although China is not one of Wales’ three key overseas markets the number of visitors is increasing,” the spokesman said.

“Visit Wales has worked with VisitBritain to suggest some place names and attractions in Wales which could be translated for Chinese visitors.

“This will help to give potential visitors more of a connection with the UK and Wales – having this affinity with a country is an important factor when people are making their holiday choices.”

Cardiff University’s international marketing officer, Dr Miao He, said Wales had become very popular among Chinese tourists during the past few years and the campaign was likely to build on that.

“I think it is a very thoughtful idea to have famous Welsh landmarks translated into Chinese. It would be great for Chinese tourists to be able to pronounce the names of these landmarks in their native language and to be able to recommend them to their friends and family.

“It will also makes it easier for us to promote these beautiful places to the large Chinese tourist market, potential business partners and investors – not to mention prospective students who are thinking of coming to study in Welsh universities.”