Denbighshire tourism sector shows record economic growth

STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) figures for 2022 show a considerable rise in the economic impact of tourism for the county.

Figures show that tourism generated £628m in 2022, besting the pre-covid 2019 number of £552m by almost 14%.

The number of staying visitors also increased in comparison to 2019, with 1.64 million deciding to stay within the county in 2022, an increase of 3.1%.

Total visitor numbers were up by 0.6% in comparison to the 2019 pre-pandemic numbers, with 6.03 million visiting Denbighshire in 2022.

The numbers show that the tourism sector is bouncing back well, with the number of staying visitors up by 56.1% in 2022, when compared with the 2021 figures.

Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Economic Growth & Tackling Deprivation said:

“These figures are very welcome and demonstrate the importance of tourism to the local economy and the resilience of this sector in what has been a challenging period for the industry.”

Councillor Win Mullen James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning said:

“Our coastal and rural attractions have both demonstrated strong increases in economic impact in comparison with 2021 improving by 40% and 50% respectively. This underlines how strong the tourism offer is throughout the county.”

Denbighire by Bus

The Tourism Team engaged a guest blogger during October.

Julie Brominicks is the author of The Edge of Cymru and a frequent contributor to BBC Countryfile Magazine.

Julie mostly writes about the Welsh landscape which she accesses on foot or by train or more often by bus.

We have been sharing Julie's adventures using public transport as she explores Denbighshire by bus, championing sustainable travel.  

To read Julie’s blog visit our Inspire Me section on the  North East Wales website which the Tourism Team manage.  She was also a guest speaker at their Tourism Forum on the 25 October.