 Oakwood Park is popular for its thrilling rides |
More people are enjoying the tourist attractions Wales has to offer. A report released on reveals that visits to attractions in Wales increased by 8% in 2002. Visits to Visitor Attractions 2002 - published by Visit Britain on behalf of all the national tourist boards in the UK - highlights this positive outcome for the tourism industry. The report shows that people are returning to the countryside following the foot-and-mouth crisis, with visits to countryside and natural attractions up by 26%, compared to a 14% decrease in 2001. Other rural attractions also enjoyed a comeback year in 2002 with wildlife attractions up by 22.7% and historic properties up by 13.8%. Some attractions celebrating good recovery were : Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre with a 413% increase on 2001, 159, 521 visitors in 2002, compared to 31,114 in 2001, just 6,000 less than pre foot and mouth; Greenmeadow Community Farm, in Cwmbran, Gwent, had 63,286 visitors, an increase of 65% - which was 23,939 more than 2001 Powis Castle, near Welshpool, with 113,147 visitors, had more than double the number of visitors than in 2001 and 26,352 more than in 2000 All the attractions, however, would have been closed during the foot-and-mouth crisis and so figures would have been expected to rise. Still, these figures show significant recovery for rural attractions in the wake of foot-and-mouth, with most attractions returning to 2000 figures, and some even exceeding them.  Historic buildings are still attracting crowds |
Passenger bookings at heritage and steam railways were up by 24.1%, having been down by 7% in the previous year. Great Orme tramway in Llandudno, for instance, experienced the highest increase, up 93% and welcoming 138, 902 passengers on board. Llandudno Cable Car reached their highest number of passengers yet with 58,576 an increase of 13,239. Further examples of a range of attractions that performed well in 2002 were: Cardiff Castle with 202,560 visitors :19% up on 2001 At Ellins Tower Seabird Centre, South Stack, on Anglesey : 45, 000 visitors, up 112% The Red Kite Feeding Farm in Rhayader : 26,530 visitors, up 56% National Museums and Galleries of Wales : 336, 411 visitors, with numbers continuing to increase since the free entry scheme Oakwood theme park was the top paid-for attraction, with 384,103 visitors, up 9% The Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, topped the free attractions league despite a slight decrease in numbers to 615,557 from 641,539 Jonathan Jones, Chief Executive of the Wales Tourist Board said Wales was a great place to visit and had a tremendous variety of attractions to suit all tastes.  More people are staying in the UK for holidays |
"It is fantastic to see an increase in the number of visitors taking advantage of what is on offer," he added. "It is also very encouraging for rural areas still in recovery following foot-and-mouth, that people are now returning to the countryside to appreciate and explore the natural beauty of Wales. "Now is the time for attractions to take the opportunity to make sure they invest in providing a quality experience for the visitors."
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