Tourism in Caerphilly County Borough is worth £113 million to the local economy, according to latest council statistics.
The amount was spent by visitors last year – up from £103m in 2013.
Total visitor numbers reached 1.71 million – a 2.56% increase from the previous year.
The number of people who stayed overnight within the borough also increased by 6%.
Historic manor house Llancaiach Fawr, near Nelson, enjoyed a 9.7% boost in visitor numbers with 60,399 visitors. The Grade I listed building recently underwent a £1m restoration project.
New Tredegar’s Winding House Museum saw an almost 30% increase in visitors in the latter half of 2014 thanks to its World War One exhibition, taking total visitor numbers for the year to 10,895.
Cwmcarn Forest’s scenic drive is currently closed because of felling work on diseased trees, but visitor numbers managed to hold firm against the disruption remaining at around 253,600 – a fall of 1.5%.
Despite this, the forest still made the top ten of most visited free attraction in Wales.
Caerphilly Castle also suffered a slight drop in visitors from 110,687 in 2013 to 108,576 – a fall of 1.9%.
Cllr Ken James, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Sustainable Development, said: “I am delighted with the positive increase in visitor numbers throughout Caerphilly, which is testament to the fascinating attractions that we have within the borough.
“Tourism is vital to our economy and I hope that it continues to thrive here, particularly due to the recent investment that Llancaiach Fawr has seen.”
• World Tourism Day was celebrated earlier this month in Caerphilly County Borough with a heritage-themed ‘familiarisation trip’ organised by Caerphilly Tourism Association.
Businesses such as hotels, cafés and activity providers from outside the borough took part, with the long-term aim of boosting visitor numbers in the future.
Restaurant, accommodation, guided in character tours, workshops and demonstrations. It’ll cost but you got to spend it to make it, same goes for Pembroke castle. Cadw isn’t swimming in cash, but a bit of investment brings the japs/Chinese and they love all that jazz. I’ve seen tourists attractions in a couple of different countries coining it from coach loads of 42 at a time.
Seem Caerphilly Council may have got the message.
It appears the preferred option for the redevelopment of the cleared land in Park Lane is for a Hotel complex. CCBC planners are currently looking to a suitable developer, for this very attractive proposal.
The residents on the north side of St Fagans Street would also probably benefit from the planning gain such a development would produce, with the finance it would attract, from the developer, used to smarten up the boundries of those properties and make the `approach` to such a development more inviting. One problem the Council planners would have to overcome with the proposed commercial development of this site is the single lane approach road, which of course cannot be widened due to the Charitable Trust obligations of the parkland the road abutts.
I hereby formally request a visa to visit the planet you are on. If it’s not a planet, I hereby notify you that your use of illegal substances has been noted and reported.
Caerphilly does not need a hotel in the town centre, nor would a hotel in the town centre be successful there. The 1200m^2 site does not make it a great location to build a hotel with suitable car parking space. For comparison, the Travelodge by Lidl is built on a 2000m^2 site and that is assuming half of the car park there is for the Red Kite pub. The hotel at the Corbetts is built on a 2940m^2 site. Pizza Hut at Crossway is on a 1550m^s sight,. The plot is not big enough for a decently sized hotel to be developed. You can use the free distance calculator by Daft logic that overlays on satellite images to calculate the size of the plot for yourself.
Assuming a hotel was built there, how would it be sold in the brochures? Maybe we could say:
If you look north you can see a tiny bit of the castle hidden behind the grotty pub building; do not let the noisy drunks disturb you at 12am at closing time. Maybe the east-facing rooms would be attractive. Here, Lloyd’s Bank and Glanmors are the delights. Monitor the number of cars passing down the B4263/Cardiff Road as you figure out which charity shop or cafe to visit next. To the south, there is Peacocks, China Boy Takeaway, and HSBC – is that not wonderful? And west really does spoil you. There is a narrow road and terrace housing with little gardens – who needs a sea view in a 5* hotel with jacuzzi baths and Mitchellin star restaurants when views of cars and garden gnomes are on offer, and every greasy, fat-filled concoction known to mad is within a mile?
We cannot ignore the local delicacies: Subway, pubs, cafes, and a Chinese take-away are all within walking distances. If you really want to push the boat out there is the Raj of India. During the day we recommend you visit Morgan Jones’ Park and Caerphilly Castle.
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I hope you see the problem, Trefor. I consider myself a rather talented writer but selling Caerphilly to people is a hard task. I will accept visitor numbers have increased but there are three reasons for this.
1. Visitors are locals who are starting to go to more local attractions for various reasons. I am included in the count for the number of visitors going to the Winding House Museum and the Forest Drive but I do not need a hotel. A lot of the other visitors are locals or locals with friends when their friends come to stay with them.
2. Attractions – lots of the people coming will visit Caerphilly Castle and the town centre but it will be done as part of a day visit to the town, not an overnight stay in the town. The people who stay overnight likely have a car enabling them to travel further afield that Caerphilly to other attractions nearby. My guess is these people would be the majority of visitors staying overnight. In this case, the hotels by a main road are better suited to cater for these people.
3. Bad statistics – counting the number of occupants staying in a hotel in the borough does not accurately tell us how many people are visiting Caerphilly. The hotels could be taking overflow from Cardiff (likely when big events are taking place in Cardiff), there could be business meetings taking place, or a sale on encouraging people to stay in a Caerphilly hotel than a Cardiff hotel.
Finally, you are one of the most short-sighted people I have ever encountered. Imagine if a hotel was built and it did have adequate parking, what would happen to the local B&Bs? What would happen to the amount of traffic on Cardiff Road? A hotel increases traffic and kills off local companies.
Further assuming visitors stay at the hotel to visit Caerphilly, what will happen to their money? It will not boost the local economy. Money spent at Greggs, Sports Direct, and Subway will go straight to the corporate bigwigs, it will not go to local people. Will these establishments suddenly expand? NO! Will these establishments suddenly employ more people? NO!
Essentially, a hotel at full occupancy (I still stand by the area being too small but I will humour you) will cause a small increase in visitors to the town centre. The Big Cheese is not a business miracle so a hotel is not going to be either.
Chortle. How about a pub?
You attribute the `Idea` of a preferred plan for the vacant land in Parc Lane to me. Wrong. The proposal is a Caerphilly Council Planning officer proposal.
I actually dont think such a plan will ever come about, but as ideas go it appears that it has much support, from elected members, otherwise the proposal would be shot out of the water now before any more public money is spent it. They have been consulted on it by the planning officer responsible at a recent meeting.so Counillors are aware of the plan
The greatest difficulty is access for ANY commercial development of this site, I am completely neutral and as a local resident i would consider any proposals put forward by the Council, but you really do give me too much vredit for the current idea, it is not mine.
The hotel plan seems to be council officers ‘flying a kite’ again. The CCBC seems pretty good at this. I can imagine the website critiques by guests at this hotel, a room with a fine view of the back of Peacock’s, ambience provided by the drunks fighting outside the Courthouse pub.
I can’t wait!
Rich; It was officially announced at the recent meeting of Caerphilly town Centre Management Group.by the groups Planning officer. So if planners are flying a kite members should reject it now if that`s the likely outcome, and save thousands of pounds of ratepayers money in time and effort of senior planning officers, who, as you say may be following their own agenda in promoting their own inspired ideas.
I have seen this sort of thing several times, as you say it is important that elected members should treat officer led ideas with care, perhaps sometimes with suspicion.
My own view of local government is that plans should come from outside, be that be from investors, entrepreneurs or government. The council officers should then be making their, undoubted, expertise available to the councillors in order that they may make an informed decision.
You well know that this particular piece of ground in question, charitable land under the stewardship of the trustees which is the cabinet, causes me some concern. It has been cleared of buildings without there first being a definite plan for redevelopment. This has happened without the trustees of the land meeting first to discuss options.
I do hope that this land is eventually brought back into use for the benefit of the town, time will tell. So far I am unconvinced that there is a coherent plan for the future use of this land and this is the cause of my unease.
I apologise if you were not supporting the hotel but from your third paragraph I did infer you were a favour of the preferred idea.
I have a better idea for development there that would boost the top of town; a car park. It is a simple yet brilliant plan. Put a car park on the land to make parking easier for anyone who needs to visit the top of town. No longer would there be the wait of driving around for 10 minutes hunting for a space only to discover it is a mile away form where you want to go.
A carpark is a good idea, particularly if it is free for 2-3 hours. This was raised by Cllr. Talbot and I at a meeting last March with the Leader of the council and officers. I must say there was not much enthusiasm for the notion.
My third paragraph simply stated the `results` of such a proposed development, and in fact I presupossed the development was unlikely due to the access issues, I have never thought so deeply and in such detail as you clearly have in forming a view. I am neutral on what the land should be used for.
Your proposal makes perfect sence until the mangers of the `micro` regulations, which they will apply to such a simple idea would probably turn it into a cash cow.