Disclosure Log

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Question

1. It was suggested by Council Leader Brendan Toomey that over 400,000 visitors stayed overnight in Merthyr Tydfil last year which suggests that 1095 people stayed every single night of the year when the total capacity of accomodation available in Merthyr Tydfil doesn't meet these figures. I would like to know where your figures came from, how the figures were derived, if they were verified by MTCBC and if you still stand by the figures. 2. It was also mentioned in the article that over 1.2 million people visited the borough last year which resulted in nearly £66.5 million being spent locally. I would like to know where your figures came from, how the figures were derived, if they were verified by MTCBC and if you still stand by the figures.

Answer

1. Please see below the statement that was recently posted on Facebook and Twitter: It has been brought to our attention that figures which were published in a press release we issued regarding tourism in Merthyr Tydfil were conveyed incorrectly. The sentence which read: “The tourism sector supports 879 full time-equivalent jobs in Merthyr Tydfil and last year alone, over 400,000 visitors stayed overnight.” For clarity, this should have been: “The tourism sector supports 879 full time-equivalent jobs in Merthyr Tydfil and last year alone, there were 170,000 overnight visitors staying in Merthyr Tydfil resulting in 400,000 days spent in Merthyr Tydfil”. We apologise for any confusion caused. 2. MTCBC, like a majority of Local Authorities throughout the UK use the Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Model (STEAM) and the figures set-out in Question 2 relate to 1.23m total visitor days coming to Merthyr Tydfil with the total economic impact of tourism being £66.45m in 2015.