The tourism industry in Swansea Bay is now worth a staggering £317m according to the latest report, which measures the volume and value of tourism to the local economy.

Recent STEAM* figures show that visitor expenditure in 2010 increased by 3%, when compared to the previous year, and this increase was mirrored in the number of people employed in tourism across the destination.

This comes as great news, particularly on the back of many key developments over the past year including the opening of the new 132 bedroom Swansea Waterfront Premier Inn (Swansea’s largest hotel) and the re introduction of the Swansea - Cork Ferry plus a host of high profile events such as the Pink Concert at the Liberty Stadium and the Ryder Cup which took place at the Celtic Manor, Newport.

In 2010, over 70,000 copies of the Swansea Bay Holiday Guide were requested and following the official re-launch of the Council’s official tourism website www.visitswanseabay.com in February 2010, the site received over 7,000 unique visitors during this month alone.

Swansea Tourist Information Centre also welcomed more visitors in 2010 – over 3000 more in fact! Recent statistics also show that for every pound spent on marketing by the Council’s Tourism Team in 2010, £57.27 was generated in the local economy, an increase on the previous year’s figures. Part of this success can be put down to the new branding for the destination, which makes the destination much more visible in a competitive market place. Its clean, fresh approach appeals to the new target markets need to be attracted in order to ensure that tourism continues to make a positive contribution to the local economy.
These promising statistics support a recent Royal Mail survey in which Swansea is named as the second best location in the UK for business growth**. Out of 9,995 Swansea businesses surveyed, the Royal Mail found that 181 were new companies and three more businesses had moved into the city than had moved out.

Frances Jenkins, Strategic Manager for Tourism, Marketing and Events said “2010 was another very positive year for all sectors involved in tourism across Swansea Bay and these statistics reflect that. This year, we will see more key developments taking place across the city and a packed Swansea Bay Summer Festival of major events including the Wales National Airshow and the two big concerts at the Liberty Stadium - JLS and Rod Stewart. With the positive results of the recent Royal Mail survey, we are hoping for another good year for tourism in Swansea Bay’.