Post-Covid spending and visits to Wales collapse
The latest international inbound visits and spend to Wales figures from the ONS for the first two quarters of 2023 (January to June) have been released.
The figures reveal that there were 403,000 inbound visits to Wales, down 12% on the same period in 2019. £188 million was spent by visitors and while this was up just 1% on 2019 in cash terms, the inflation adjusted figure represented a reduction of 20% in visitor spending, in real terms.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Tourism Minister, Tom Giffard MS said:
“While Labour Ministers try to fudge the figures to hide the true extent of their failure, the hard statistics lay bare their lack of ambition for Welsh tourism.
The Labour Government has comprehensively failed to attract visitors to Wales post-Covid, they would rather hit the industry with their toxic tourism tax and 300% council tax premiums for self-catering accommodation businesses to appease their nationalist cooperation partners.
“Only the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to support the tourism sector, with a positive alternative strategy. We are the only party that will reverse Labour’s harmful policies, as they enjoy Plaid and Lib Dem support.”
Image https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tenby_Harbour_South_Wales.jpg
