WREXHAM'S hospitality sector is set to receive a boost amid "incredible" demands from international travel agencies. 

Earlier this month, over 80 Wrexham-based tourism and hospitality staff took the opportunity to look ahead to the new 2024 visitor season as part of the 'This is Wrexham Tourism Forum' at Xplore! Science Discovery Centre.

The twice-yearly forum was an opportunity for local businesses to learn more about the support available, opportunities for development and growth in 2024 and also the potential that the current high levels of inbound international tourism are presenting Wrexham with.

As part of the morning, delegates had an exclusive insight and Q&A session via Zoom with Bryan Swarberg from the US-based team behind the new Parks & Wrex project, which aims to transform the former Hippodrome site on Henblas Street.

Rob McElhenney and his team aim to work closely with Wrexham Council to regenerate the former Hippodrome site over the next year to form a new community-focused park, with proposed pop-up performance space, seating, market opportunities and a very fetching bronze statue of Ryan Reynolds.

The presentation was well received and formed part of the teams wider consultation programme ahead of a formal planning application being submitted later in the spring.

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Alongside the Parks and Wrex presentation, tourism manager at Wrexham Council Joe Bickerton and Visit Wales marketing officers updated the group with insights and opportunities from recent travel agency familiarisation visits to Wrexham. 

They included visits from UNITED airlines, Visit Britain, Berg-Hansen in Norway and a day visit of US and Canadian travel agency delegates attending the International Travel Market in London at the end of February.

Joe said: "The level of interest from international travel agencies - based on demand in large due to the awareness of Wrexham thanks to the 'Welcome to Wrexham' Disney+ documentary - is incredible and should really help support our local hospitality businesses over the coming months.

"Pre-pandemic, it could be said that we often lived in the shadow of many other more established tourism destinations, but the platform that we have now to build on this attention has so much potential to sustain and create new jobs in hospitality, attract new private sector investment and showcase what an incredible place our whole county area is."