The weather didn't stop people flocking to Wales

A tourism business survey conducted by ‘Visit Wales', showed that the Welsh tourism industry had a very profitable summer season, despite the weather complications and the economic downturn. Of the 200 business polled, only nineteen percent reported a decrease in business, thirty-nine percent reported they had an increase in their tourist dollars and forty-two percent reported that they had approximately the same amount of business. It is believed that a large contingent of the population decided to stay within the UK for their vacation periods, as the poll shows forty-six percent of their respondents said their visitors were native to the UK. The caravan and camping businesses showed the best performances out of all of the different forms of accommodations. More than half of these companies reported an increase in business as the UK vacationers worked to figure out ways to cut their vacation costs even further. The ongoing trend to book at the last minute shows no signs of changing as approximately thirty percent of the respondents said that their last minute bookings were up by a good bit while only fifteen percent said they had fewer last minute bookings.

The respondents to the poll also reported that the visitors to their businesses were spending somewhat less than normal in all of their purchases including food and drink purchases. Reports from the early summer had been somewhat mixed and caused concern over the economic uncertainty, coupled with the trend of late bookings, it made it very difficult to figure out what the marketplace was going to be like and made it difficult on the businesses to figure out their future supply and demand issues. An interesting note to the whole poll is that twenty percent of the businesses surveyed said that part of the reason for their increase in business was because of repeat business. This is very important to the business itself and the industry as a whole. People that have positive experiences will return over and over again, regardless of what the weather conditions are.

Business confidence over the autumn season is not terribly high, especially considering how good the summer season was. Part of the reason for this concern is the continued lack of advanced bookings. This leaves the businesses relying on a last minute influx of bookings. Wales tourism has always been pretty strong during its Autumn season so although businesses are reporting a dearth of advanced bookings, they are also taking into consideration that this has been the trend throughout the year and that last minute bookings will probably appear to carry them through the season. The marketing of Wales is already well underway for both Autumn and Winter with the continuation of the already proven ‘Holidays Unpackaged' marketing campaign. This campaign invites potential visitors to discover Wales by talking to the people that really know it. They are encouraged to try the local seasonal fair and watch some of Wales' performance art. They are invited to discover Wales outdoors through walks and activities, leaving the car behind to explore the natural beauty of Wales. £460,000 is slated to be spent on the campaign, which for the first time extends its advertising reach to Ireland. Visit Wales has also partnered with Telegraph Travel online Telegraph Travel will be developing a Wales microsite in which they will feature an interactive map promoting the regions of Wales and highlighting different offerings.

This article was written on behalf of Celtic Haven Pembrokeshire Cottages which make ideal accommodation for a Short Break Wales