Tourism businesses in Wales have enjoyed a healthy start to the 2009 holiday season, according to the results of a new industry survey conducted by national tourism agency, Visit Wales.

The poll was carried out following the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with 41 per cent of tourism businesses across all four Welsh regions reporting an increase in guest and visitor numbers, while 44 per cent reported the same number as 2007. Figures also revealed that nearly three quarters of Welsh tourist attractions saw an increase in visitor numbers, although Welsh heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones said that efforts will continue in order to attract more visitors to Wales over the summer months.

He said: "This early success doesn’t mean that we can now rest on our laurels, Visit Wales will be adjusting this year’s budgets in order to provide the marketing team with resources to extend the current UK campaign, including some TV advertising, into the early summer period."