Mid-Wales hit by tourism slump
The number of tourists visiting the Brecon Beacons area has slumped by 25% over the past year, says a new study.
Hotelier and chairman of Brecon Beacon Tourism, Jim Moore, carried out a survey of hospitality businesses in the area to demonstrate to the Wales Tourist Board (WTB) that it needs to invest more in marketing.
"The strength of the pound and the bad weather hasn't helped, but I know from other statistics that tourism is up 15% in the UK and 7% in Ireland. Tourism in Wales is going down the tube," he said.
The WTB believes the drop in business is not confined to the Brecon Beacons area. Based on anecdotal evidence it is expecting an overall drop in visitors of between 6% and 10%.
A spokesman said that the WTB is "doing its best" to promote Wales using limited resources, but the hospitality industry, he added, needs to move with the times to attract tourists.
"Hotels that have shown vision and adapted to meet customer expectations have held their own. Those offering what customers wanted 15 years ago will lose out," he said.
