Summer getaway begins with an upbeat tourism industry

As the summer holidays begin in Wales, tourism is in a strong position as official figures reveal that Wales experienced further growth in the first quarter of 2015 when compared to a record breaking 2014.

Recent figures show that the volume of nights spent in Wales by GB visitors in the first three months of 2015 was 4.68 million, which is up 17 per cent compared with January to March 2014.   Average length of stay in Wales during this period rose to 2.89 nights compared with 2.65 nights in the first three months of 2014 and related expenditure saw a significant increase of 32 per cent on January-March 2014.
Deputy Minister for Culture Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, said:

“Following a record breaking year in 2014 we are working with the industry to sustain these excellent figures.   Tourism is in a strong position. International Passenger Survey results published this week    for the first quarter of 2015 show that Wales welcomed 137,000 visits from overseas, 5.4% up on the first quarter of 2014.
“Last year, our UK and Ireland campaign generated close to £240 million in additional expenditure to the Welsh economy, up 36 per cent on the previous year, this expenditure can be directly linked to the work of Visit Wales.
“The summer has begun with the eyes of the world on Wales yet again as we had the honour of hosting our second Ashes test  and the first of the 2015 series.  World class sporting events such as these play an extremely important part of raising Wales profile  and we look forward to summer packed with a variety of music, culture events,  festivals and then to hosting  a number of  the Rugby World Cup matches in the Autumn.

“The opening of Surf Snowdonia in the Conwy Valley will again mean that attention will turn to Wales as this epic, ground breaking development will see the first inland surfing lagoon in the UK here in Wales.

“However, it is a competitive world and the strength of the pound will make it increasingly important for Wales to innovate in quality products; keep our message fresh and give compelling reasons for people to visit Wales – now. This is one of the reasons for introducing our thematic years approach which focus on Wales’s core strengths.  I look forward to working with partners to delivering a successful Year of Adventure in 2016.  I’ll be undertaking some adventure challenges over the summer with a view to encouraging the people of Wales to take pride in what Wales has to offer as an adventure destination and to take part.   I hope that all the industry’s efforts in marketing and developing their products will be rewarded over the coming weeks.”

The Chair of British Hospitality Association Cymru, Justin Baird Murray, said the investments made in attractions was mirrored by the hotel industry with investment in staff, buildings and infrastructure to constantly upgrade the offer and improve the visitor experience across Wales.

“The sustained improvement in visitor numbers shows that the Welsh Government’s investment in marketing Wales to visitors was also paying economic dividends by enabling hospitality businesses to make vital contributions into the Welsh economy.

“We are a committed partner to the Welsh Government’s plans to maximise returns for this industry. Hospitality provides employment for more than 120,000 people in Wales and I am confident that will rise to more than 140,000 by 2020. It is an economic success story in a period of really tough financial times and its importance to communities and ancillary businesses in every part of Wales cannot be underestimated.”

Speaking ahead of the summer getaway,  tourism businesses in Wales are looking forward to a busy summer season:

Zoe Wright, Head of Marketing, at Folly Farm said:

“At Folly Farm visitor attendance is currently up by 15% for the year to date compared to the same period last year so we are feeling confident for the summer.

“We had a particularly good June this year with a noticeable increase in trade from Ireland because their Summer holidays are earlier.”