Cwmcarn Forest Drive and Caerphilly Castle have again been named in a list of Wales’ most visited tourist attractions.
The 13th Century Caerphilly Castle, located in the heart of the town, has been named as the tenth most visited paid-for attraction in Wales while Cwmcarn Forest Drive is the seventh most visited free attraction.
The castle attracted 110,687 visitors in 2013, down from 120,273 in 2012.
Forest Drive attracted 257,539 visitors in 2013, up from 203,662 the previous year.
Cardiff’s Wales Millenium Centre was named top of the free attractions with 1.1 million visitors and was followed by St Fagans National History Museum, Cyfarthfa Castle Museum in Merthyr and the Cardiff-based National Museum Wales.
The paid-for attractions were led by the LC leisure centre in Swansea city centre, which received 712,616 visitors, followed by Pembrokeshire’s Folly Farm zoo and Portmeirion, the Italian-style tourist village built into the cliffs south of Porthmadog.
Edwina Hart, Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, said that visitor numbers showed the continuing strength of the tourist industry in Wales.
She said: “Tourism in Wales is in a strong position and the sector is looking to the future with renewed vigour and confidence.
“I’ve seen at first hand over the summer holidays how tourism businesses are investing in improving the quality of their products.
“Investment in quality facilities supports higher performance and drives profitability and visitors will return time again for a quality experience.”
Latest tourism figures suggest the number of people visiting Wales for day trips has risen by 25% this year,