Economic value of tourism in Merthyr continues to grow

Anthony Lewis Local Democracy Reporter

Tourism contributes more than £156m towards the local economy in Merthyr each year, latest figures show.

A report for the council’s Thriving scrutiny committee on the council’s destination management plan 2026-30 said the economic value of the sector has grown by 54% over the course of the last destination management plan (since 2016) and there has been a 59% growth in direct employment since 2016.

It said that 1.31m visitors came to Merthyr Tydfil in 2024 with the tourism sector generating £156.26m toward the local economy and directly supporting 1,418 full-time-equivalent jobs.

There were 1.77m actual visitor days generated in this year which includes people accounted for more than once if they have visited on multiple days.

Since 2017, and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector continued to rise in Merthyr Tydfil.

Between 2017 and 2019 the economic impact increased from £71.53m to £103.09m, the number of annual visitors increased from 1.27m to 1.71m, the number of staying visitors increased from 172,000 to 210,000, and the annual full-time-equivalent jobs supported by the sector rose from 921 to 1,211.

Post-pandemic the sector continued to defy the national trend by bouncing back more effectively than the majority of the other 21 local authorities in Wales.

Between 2022 and 2023 the economic impact increased from £113.4m to £130.19m, the number of annual visitors increased from 1.58m to 1.69m, the number of staying visitors stayed at 200,000, and the annual full-time-equivalent jobs supported by the sector went from from 1,180 to 1,171.

Councillor Clive Jones referred to the new road and rail developments in the area and highlighted the Heads of the Valleys road as a “major achievement”.

He also highlighted the major transformative pipeline projects such as Cyfarthfa Castle and Park and Rhydycar West which includes a hotel with more than 400 bedrooms.

Cllr Jones said Bike Park Wales has really taken off with the number of visitors while other attractions include the international climbing centre and Brecon Mountain Railway.

He said they need a brand new hotel, hopefully in the town centre, and he looks forward to seeing that hopefully coming to fruition.

He said anyone reading the report will see a lot of things have happened in the last 10 years and hopefully there will be a lot more happening in the next few years.

The most recent economic studies reference the tourism industry contributing £286bn to the UK economy in 2024 representing approximately 10% of the UK’s GDP.

The sector supports 4.1m jobs, which accounts for 11% of the UK
workforce.

Inbound visitor figures for 2024 reached 42.6m which totalled visitor spend of £32.5bn and accounting for 293m nights.

Domestically there were more than 105.6m overnight trips totalling 308m nights with £32.9bn being spent within the UK.

The report says in Wales the statistical data is still unclear post-pandemic but officers are fully aware of the importance of the sector, which supports employment across accommodation, food, recreation, cultural activities, transport, and travel agencies.

Pre-Covid tourism generated roughly £2.4bn in GDP and employed approximately 161,000 people.

Merthyr Tydfil Council is currently developing a destination management plan (DMP) covering 2026-30 which is the third iteration of a dedicated tourism strategy for Merthyr Tydfil.

It will explain how the council will coordinate key actions to support and develop the tourism sector both across the county borough and regionally.