Caravans play key role in Shropshire tourism success
News that 10 million visitors are injecting around £600 million a year into the Shropshire economy has been welcomed by a company boss who believes that the caravan industry plays a key role in the county’s tourism success.
Tony Bywater, chairman of Salop Leisure caravan dealership in Shrewsbury, said the visitor figures recently revealed by Simon McCloy, chief executive of Shropshire Tourism, proved how important tourism was to the county’s economy.
Around 10 million tourists spend £561 million in Shropshire every year, with £189 million spent on food and drink and £150 million in shops.
“The visitor figures are great news for Shropshire and I would like to see a further survey of businesses to establish the type of tourist that is attracted to our county, so that we can target our marketing more precisely,” said Mr Bywater.
“I am certain that the caravan industry plays a major role in attracting people to Shropshire, together with the high quality restaurants and food producers in our county.
“Shropshire has everything a visitor could want: some of the finest countryside in Europe, fantastic stately homes, great visitor attractions, unique towns, excellent traditional pubs and restaurants and, most important of all, friendly people.”
