Tourism & the Welsh Economy

73% of UK tourists to Wales came for a holiday
14% to visit friends or relatives and 9% for a business trip.
Just under 0.9 million trips were taken to Wales by overseas tourists. The most popular origins of overseas visitors are Republic of Ireland, USA, France and Germany.
UK visitors accounted for 90% of overnight trips but international visitors stayed longer (accounted for around 16% nights), thus international visits contribute more to the total spent (i.e. international visitors spend more).
Overnight visitors to Wales spent around £ 1.7 billion.
37 % of overnight trips by UK tourists to Wales went to the seaside.
Yearly expenditure attributable to tourism trips amounted to £1.5 billion.
In 2005, tourism related employment in Wales was circa 100,400 full and part time employees 8.4% of all employees in employment in Wales.

Source: Visit Wales