Tourism Barometer: summer wave 2023

Quiet year continues

• One in five (20%) businesses have had more customers this summer than last summer, and a further two in five (40%) have had the same level. However, two in five (40%) have had fewer. All four regions of Wales are down on balance.

Only the attractions sector has seen visitor levels rise

• Close to half (46%) of attractions have had more visitors this summer, compared to only 24% citing a decrease. All other sectors report being down on balance, especially activity providers (62% are down) and caravan & campsites (48% are down).

Autumn advance booking levels

• Early September has seen a significant upturn in weather, and accommodation occupancy levels at the time of interviewing stood at an average of 63% per operator. Booked occupancy falls away quite quickly into October (43%) and November (24%).

Family market and the school summer holidays

• On average, families with school-age children have made up about half of an operator’s business during the school holidays this summer. The proportion is highest (above 60%) among attractions and caravan parks, and lowest (25%) in serviced accommodation.
• There is no significant difference to report between the level of business in the early part of the school holidays this summer and the later part. Much better weather towards the end of the holidays may have influenced this result (i.e. operators might have been busier in the early part had it not been for bad weather).

Awareness and interest in TXGB

• One in ten (10%) operators were aware of TXGB prior to interview. Of these, about one in five (21%) are either using it now or intend to do so.
• After hearing a description of TXGB, 16% of those previously unaware of it say it ‘definitely’ sounds like something they would be interested in learning more about, and a further 42% say it ‘may’ be something they would like to learn more about.

Confidence levels

• 15% of operators say they are ‘very confident’ about running the businesses profitably this year, and a further 43% say they are ‘fairly confident’.