NEW figures released have shown tourism in Wrexham is on the up, with spending in 2018 hitting an all-time high.

The data, submitted by local tourism operators, reveal that visitor spending in the county reached £122.6m last year, an annual increase of just over 4 percent, with early indications for 2019 suggesting continued growth and development. Since 2010, the growth in tourism spending in Wrexham has actually seen a 40 percent increase, making the county of the one strongest performers in Wales.

The current tourism strategy in Wrexham is considered a very innovative one, with the county council working alongside the This is Wrexham Partnership - a collective board of local hotels, attractions and sector representatives all with the common aim of increasing visitor experience and promotion of the region.

Commenting on the latest figures, generated by Global Tourism Solutions and used by the majority of Local Authorities in the UK, Destination Manager at Wrexham County Borough Council Joe Bickerton said: “It’s once again really encouraging for the trade and potential investors to see a further growth in visitor spend here in Wrexham County.

“Each year, we and the tourism partnership try to encourage and support new investment in the sector along with events which have the potential to attract new visitors into the area. We’ve seen this happen over the last year with places such as Rossett Hall, the Plassey Holiday Park, Bangor on Dee Racecourse, the West Arms and the Hand at Llanarmon all going through refurbishment programmes – along with the opening of new businesses such as Ty Pawb, Lot 11, Levant and the Pontcysyllte Tea Rooms.

“With figures increasing so rapidly, our strategy with partners across North Wales in the last 18-months has started to focus now on promoting the ‘shoulder season’ – which will try and take some of the pressure off our top attractions who can struggle to cope in the summer months, whilst reaffirming the message that Wrexham County and North Wales is open for business 12-months of the year. We know through our Tourist Information Centre and business feedback that once visitors arrive, many comment about either how attractive, welcoming or accessible Wrexham County is – so our aim in the Local Authority is to use what finance we can access to keep improving these first impressions and visitor welcome in line with our current Destination Action Plan.”