Prince Edward meets children at the Llangorse Rope and Riding Centre

Prince Edward is one of nine senior members of the Royal Family to take part in a British tourism day.

He visited four attractions in the Brecon Beacons as the royals, led by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, publicised some of the best UK tourist attractions and beauty spots.

It is believed to be the first time so many British royals have joined together to back a single campaign.

Tourism contributes more than �6m a day to the Welsh economy, but many attractions have still to recover from the effects of the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001, with 11 September terrorism threats, and the war with Iraq also reducing visitor numbers.

It sends the message that Britain is safe and hopefully more tourists will visit us Carl Shaw, Dan-yr-Ogof Caves

An estimated �3bn in tourism revenue has been lost.

The Earl of Wessex started his visit by opening the Llangorse Rope and Riding Centre, in Brecon, before visiting the Brynich caravan park, also in Brecon.

After visiting the Griffin Inn, in Brecon, Prince Edward headed underground at the Dan-Yr-Ogof National Show Caves, in Ystradgynlais.

Carl Shaw, general manager of Dan-Yr-Ogof, said: "The visit means a lot to us, the staff are delighted to have the Royal Family here and hopefully it will have a good effect for us.

"We are still about 15% down on the pre-foot and mouth.

"It sends the message that Britain is safe and hopefully more tourists will visit us."

Generating �2.5 billion a year, tourism is one of Wales' most important industries and employs 10% of the workforce - higher than the 7% of workers employed in the industry across the UK.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "This underlines the importance of tourism to the national economy.

"The wide variety of venues being visited shows how much the UK has to offer tourists both from home and abroad."

The prince is greeted by children as he arrives in Brecon

The Queen will host a Buckingham Palace reception on Tuesday evening for representatives of the tourism industry in Wales, England, and Northern Ireland, while the Prince of Wales will host a reception in Scotland.

While Prince Edward was in Wales, Royal Tourism Day featured visits by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Legoland in Windsor, and the Britain and London Visitor Centre.

The Prince of Wales was in Scotland, the Princess Royal on England's south coast and the Duke of York in Cumbria.