Latest figures showing a rise in the number of people using hotels, hostels, guest houses, bed and breakfasts, self catering units, and static sites such as caravans, holiday homes and camp sites in Wales over the last year have been welcomed by Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, Ken Skates.

The Economy Secretary was responding to the latest Wales Tourism Accommodation Occupancy statistics, which show that occupancy levels across each of these categories increased between July 2016 and June 2017.

At 68 per cent the occupancy rate for hotels rooms was the highest of all, increasing one percentage points when compared with the previous 12 months.

Guest houses and Bed and Breakfasts occupancy rates stood at 40 per cent, a 2 percentage point increase over the same period, meanwhile self catering units increased by 4 percentage points to 56 per cent, and hostel bed space increased by 3 percentage points to 52 per cent.

The largest change in occupancy rates was seen in static caravans and holiday homes, which rose by 12 percentage points between July 2016 and June 2017 to 86 per cent.

Ken Skates said: “In what is an extremely competitive market place, these latest occupancy statistics show a strong picture for tourism in Wales and continue to reflect the success we have experienced over the last two years.

“We will continue with our campaign work to promote Wales to both domestic and foreign markets to ensure that we make the most of the opportunities to attract overseas visitors and those looking to holiday at home due to the weak pound.”