Tourist industry on road to recovery

Visitor numbers rise in many areas of Wales

The tourist trade showed signs of picking up across Wales this Bank Holiday weekend for the first time since the early days of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

A survey to be published by the Wales Tourist Board on Tuesday will show that some areas experienced a bumper Bank Holiday, but in disease hot spots trade is still down.

Crisis in Wales

Total confirmed cases UK-wide 1,661 - with 92 in Wales

Powys - 57 cases

Anglesey - 13 cases

Monmouthshire - 17 cases

Caerphilly 1

Rhondda Cynon Taff - 1

Neath Port Talbot -1

Newport - 3

The Snowdonia National Park was one of most popular attractions in Wales over the weekend with staff reporting visitor numbers reminiscent of days prior to the virus outbreak.

In the Brecon Beacons visitors also returned as some footpaths were re-opened.

Meanwhile a new case of foot and-mouth was confirmed in Wales on Monday.

Cattle at Lower Pant y Rhesk Farm in Newbridge in Monmouthshire have been identified as infected.

This latest incident brings the total number of confirmed cases in Wales to 92.

Wallkers and climbers find restrictions relaxed

But even the areas where the effects of the disease have hit hard visitor numbers have risen.

In Powys - the tourist trade was a lot quieter with some hotels still operating on only 10% of the usual number of visitors.

But Sarah Leyland-Jones from Llandrindod Wells Information Centre said: "Visitor numbers have been reduced for the entire season but things seem to be picking up.

"Confidence is gradually being retained and people are returning to the countryside.

People are coming back to the whole of mid Wales as more attractions open."

The drive to reopen paths and cycle routes across Wales in time for the bank holiday weekend was met with a furious response from farmers who have said the move was "premature".

Farming unions said that caution is still required in the light of fresh outbreaks of the disease.

Anglesey farmer Eifion Hughes said he disagreed with the stepping up of path re-opening.

"You have to be careful. It is better to stay shut an extra week than open a day too soon.

"We have to be extremely careful if people think they can wander all over the place."