Number of visitors to Wales from rest of the UK is up

Numbers of tourists travelling to Wales from the rest of the UK has risen, despite a dip in the number travelling in the UK as a whole.

Figures for 2013 show a total of 9.93 million visited to Wales, an increase of 3.4%.

But the Great Britain Tourism Survey showed trips across the UK were down 2.5% compared with the previous year.

It was published as a £68m by-pass opens making the journey to Tenby and Saundersfoot easier.

Tourists to Wales spent £1.7billion, up 7% on 2012, while expenditure in the UK as a whole fell by almost 3%.

Tourism Minister Edwina Hart said: "These figures will give the tourism industry in Wales an extra boost ahead of what is traditionally hailed as the start of the tourism season."