Tourism operators in Wales still waiting for revival

www.visitwales.com

Tourism officials are warning industry operators in Wales that they may be facing a third consecutive disappointing summer season, as advance booking figures show no improvement over last year.

There are concerns that the two previous wet summers could be having a long-lasting impact on the tourism industry in Wales, even though the forecast for this summer calls for warm and sunny weather.

Last summer proved to be a major disappointment for tourism operators in Wales, as an extended period of dismal weather followed a similarly damp 2007.

VisitWales, the Assembly Government’s tourism body, released figures this week that suggest Met Office forecasts for a warm and sunny summer have had little impact on advance bookings for holidays in Wales.

The group’s figures show that advance bookings for the months of July and August are at the same level as last year, or lower, for approximately two-thirds of the tourism operators in Wales.

Julian Burrell, the chairman of the Wales Tourism Alliance, has commented that the gloomy predictions point out the need for effective ongoing marketing efforts.

Burrell, operates Wales Holidays, a cottage rental firm. He said: “To some of us it’s not a surprise because we never expected to have a boom and this is exactly what we predicted would happen.”

He added: “We’ve always said people will take their time this year to book, which is why we’re encouraging everybody involved to continue marketing throughout the year. You can’t just have a big campaign and then call it a day.”

Thanks to www.walesonline.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.visitwales.com