Local tourist numbers are up

The heads have been counted and the numbers are in and it is good news for local tourism chiefs.

Visitor spend in the county at places like Powis Castle (pictured) during last year reached £720m, an increase of 9% according to an official review of tourism activity across the county.

Powys County Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Avril York said: “This is excellent news for Powys, a 9% increase in spending after some disappointing results recently is a welcome boost.

“Tourism is a vital sector for the county supporting more than 11,100 jobs so any increase in activity can only be good news for the economy.”

The annual report showed that the total number of visitor days in the county was 10.22 million an increase of 7.3 per cent on 2014. Staying visitor days also increased during the same period with figures showing an 8.6% increase with 7.12m stays.

The number of people visiting Powys during 2015 hit 4.55m, an increase of 5.8% compared to 2014. Visitors staying the county rose to 1.44m, up 8.9%, and the number of day visitors hit 3.1m, up 4.5 per cent.

“The figures show that more people are visiting Powys both for day trips and to stay, spending money at local businesses and boosting the local economy. It shows that Powys is truly a holiday destination and that tourism is a vital sector for the county’s well-being,” added Councillor York.