The focus is well and truly on Wales – and not just because the Rugby World Cup kicked off last month.
While sports fanatics keep their eyes firmly fixed on the new Millennium Stadium, substantial investment in infrastructure, as well as the emergence of five-star hotels and conference facilities, has attracted the attention of the business and conference sector.
The outcome has been an 18% increase in business spend to £77m last year with the Wales Tourist Board forecasting further growth for 1999 as new facilities come on line.
WTB marketing manager Pat Crimp said: “New infrastructure and development has created a surge of interest. We have seen a 30% increase in enquiries for conferences over the last nine months.”
Crimp believes much of the interest has been instigated by the construction of large, well equipped upmarket properties.
She pointed to the expansion of The Celtic Manor Hotel and Resort which opened in August after a £100m investment. It is now rated Europe’s largest residential conference centre capable of hosting 1,500 delegates.
The 75-bed hotel in Newport, 30mins from Cardiff International Airport, boasts 400 rooms and a third championship golf course with which it is bidding to host the Ryder Cup in 2009.
In the centre of Cardiff, the city’s first two five-star hotels report strong demand. The five-star, 198-room Hilton, opened in August and offers conference organisers use of a ballroom that can hold up to 1,500. The city’s other five-star hotel, the 145-room St David’s Hotel and Spa, opened in January and stands overlooking Cardiff Bay.
“There will also be ferries running to the Millennium Stadium which can seat 72,500 and has conference facilities, hospitality suites and the capacity to seat 2,500 on the pitch for dinner,” Crimp said.
However, the WTB is trying to spread the benefits of the World Cup beyond the capital to other countryside venues.
Crimp said the five-star Llangoed Hall, north of the Brecon Beacons, is popular for think-tank meetings for up to 60, while the opening of the 140-room Vale of Glamorgan Hotel and Country Club at Hensol, near Cardiff, will offer a larger alternative venue.
“There are price advantages in terms of choosing Wales but there is also easy accessibility and the fact that Wales has a new image and people are intrigued,” Crimp said.