Targeted promotion of Carmarthenshire as a world-class visitor destination has seen record-breaking tourist numbers over the last year, helping boost the local economy by more than £434 million.

Independent figures, put together for Carmarthenshire County Council, show a 7.8 per cent increase in visitor numbers during 2017 compared to the previous year.

Close to three and a half million people visited Carmarthenshire last year alone, and over one million stayed overnight in the county for the very first time.

The council’s Marketing and Media team has been working closely with businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector to ensure everyone benefits from the boom, including hotels, bed and breakfasts, tourist attractions, activity providers, restaurants, pubs, businesses and retailers.

It is also running targeted campaigns across the UK, Europe and further afield to promote the Discover Carmarthenshire website and This Is Carmarthenshire brand.

Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, Carmarthenshire Council’s Executive Board Member for Culture, Sport and Tourism, said: “Having seen and felt the buzz around Carmarthenshire as a growing visitor destination over the last few years, these record-breaking figures are welcome but come as no surprise.

“Working in partnership with tourism organisations across the county, we have continued to pull out all the stops to raise Carmarthenshire’s profile as a world class visitor destination and a county that’s well-equipped to host high-quality events. This work is reflected in these figures, which augur very well for coming years, but the challenge now is to make even more improvements to our thriving tourism industry.

“As well as major developments and events on their way to Carmarthenshire, work between the council’s tourism and planning teams will continue to take place alongside our tourism businesses and other tourism organisations to meet their requirements for infrastructure improvements. This will benefit millions of visitors every year, as well residents throughout Carmarthenshire.”

Cllr Emlyn Dole, Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council, added: “Since 2007, the value of the tourism industry to Carmarthenshire’s economy has risen by about £150 million. It now directly employs over 6,000 people, becoming one of Carmarthenshire’s largest industry sectors, so these record-breaking figures for 2017 are a fantastic boost.”

Vimeo video from Carmarthenshire Council –