Wales continues upward trend with increase in share of domestic tourism market

The latest figures show Wales has managed to increase its share of domestic tourism spending during the first quarter of this year, with expenditure on visits to Wales rising by 28 per cent, compared to 21 per cent in the UK as a whole.

The results from the Great Britain Tourism Survey, which summarises overnight domestic tourism in Wales during the first four months of 2015, also show that the total number of nights spent in Wales is up 11 per cent on the same period last year.

These figures follow recent occupancy survey results, which also show encouraging signs of growth for the first five months of 2015 after a record breaking year for Wales’ tourism industry in 2014.

The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates said:

“These latest set of results are further encouraging news for our tourism industry and for Wales’ economy as a whole.

“Following a record breaking year in 2014 we are continuing to work closely with the industry to sustain these excellent figures, and the Great Britain Tourism Survey is further evidence that our approach is working.

“Tourism in Wales is in a strong position, with recent International Passenger Survey results showing that as well as attracting domestic visitors we are increasing the number of overseas visitors, with visits up 5.4% on the first quarter of 2014.

“The Great Britain Tourism Survey also shows the volume of holiday visits taken by UK residents in the UK as a whole has decreased by over 8% between 2012 and 2014, while it has increased by 7.5% in Wales. This is a fantastic result and testament to Wales’ world-class products and the hard work and dedication of the people working in this sector.

“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 deliver a successful Year of Adventure in 2016 and I hope that all the industry’s efforts in marketing and developing their products will continue to be rewarded over the coming weeks.”