New figures highlight the impact the opening of the St David’s Dewi Sant shopping centre has had on visitor numbers and spend in Cardiff.
The latest STEAM survey for Cardiff shows that the city welcomed 18.3 million visitors in 2010, including over 16.6 million day visitors, an overall increase of 25% on 2009.
The survey also reveals that in 2010 visitors generated nearly £852 million for the city’s economy, up 16.7% on the previous year.
The increases coincide with the first full year of trading at the St David’s Dewi Sant shopping centre which opened in late 2009, and the figures suggest that the development has had a significant effect on day visitor numbers in particular, which rose by 27% in 2010.
When the “St David’s effect” is stripped out, the figures still show an increase in visitor numbers and spend despite the difficult economic climate.
Cardiff Council’s Executive Member for Sport Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells, welcomed the findings. He said:
“Research commissioned by the Council’s Tourism Service over many years confirms that tourism already generates hundreds of millions of pounds for the city’s economy, and provides employment for thousands of people, but the opening of St David’s has clearly had an immediate and positive effect which can only be good news.
“If we can encourage some of the 16.6 million day visitors to come back to spend a night or two here next time there would be a real benefit for businesses, so it’s important that we keep the momentum going and that Cardiff continues to develop as a place that people want to visit, with new attractions, activities and events.”
David Hughes-Lewis, Chair of Cardiff Retail Partnership, said the figures were good news:
“It’s very clear that St David’s Dewi Sant is a big draw for visitors, providing opportunities for other businesses across the city.
“The number of coaches bringing shoppers from the M4 corridor – east and west – is noticeable, underlining Cardiff’s growing reputation as a retail destination, and while most people are here for the day I do believe that once they’ve seen the city and its wealth of attractions, many of them will return for a longer break with family or friends.”
