Wales' tourism sector had successful year, says survey
A new survey has showed tourism in Powys and across Wales has had a successful year.
However Rowland Rees-Evans, chairman of Mid Wales Tourism, an organisation that represents businesses, has warned that business profit margins were squeezed by rising costs.
The tourism barometer revealed that nationally 42 per cent of the businesses surveyed had more visitors than last year, while 39 per cent reported a similar level – in Mid Wales the figures were 44 per cent and 36 per cent.
More than half of food venues fed more people in 2017 than they did last year and 50 per cent of attractions and activity operators had seen more visitors.
Forty-one per cent of caravan and campsite operators welcomed more people and 43 per cent of self-catering operators reported a similar number of visitors to last year, with around a third taking more bookings.
A third of businesses said their own marketing, including social media, had contributed towards the increase in visitors. Two fifths of businesses reported an increase in profitability while 35 per cent said profits were about the same as last year.
The main barriers to growth identified by tourism businesses were rising costs, local authority austerity measures, economic conditions and changing business regulations.
Mr Rees-Evans, who runs Penrhos Park, a country club, golf complex and holiday park at Llanrhystyd, near Aberaeron, said: “The survey shows that we are attracting more visitors to Wales but also reflects concern about the rising costs that are eating into the profitability of businesses.
“Speaking on behalf of Penrhos Park, I can vouch for the fact that more British people are staycationing and that there is a trend towards shorter breaks. Our forward bookings for 2018 have been good which is very positive.”
