Early Easter impacting Welshpool footfall

The early Easter on the back of some poor Spring weather is impacting visitor-numbers to the town, with Welshpool hoping for a busier Bank Holiday Weekend ahead.

At last night’s Welshpool Town Council Events & Planning Committee meeting, Welshpool Information Centre Manager, Wendy Lewis, revealed that only 18 overseas visitors came into the facility during March out of a total of just over 800 visitors.

Over 70% of that total were classed as ‘local visitors’ with many buying train and bus tickets, and around 268 visited from other parts of the UK.

Free parking is being offered at Church Street Car Park from this Saturday so councillors will be hoping that it can ignite a surge in visitors to the town.

After being asked by Cllr Morag Bailey whether the newly renamed Welshpool Information Centre was busier this year, Ms Lewis replied: “No. I would love to say it is but we aren’t. We are not busier. We will know better next month. The holiday makers are starting to come, but slowly.”

Cllr Bill Rowell speculated that it was down to the earlier Easter holidays being held during the colder weather, coupled with the bad winter/spring we have all endured.

Figures show that £6,852.12 was taken in revenue for the month of March, with Owens Coaches-related sales accounting for the largest proportion of income at £5,223.00, with retail income from souvenirs, bags, jewellery, and maps/books “remaining positive”.

The Centre also operates as a rail ticket sales hub with March producing £5,472.50 in income, generating £492.53 in commission for the Town Council.

The sale of fishing permits also brought in £360.

Since the facility was renamed last month, new signage has been produced and is currently being put into place.

Saturday’s ‘pay what you can’ parking initiative launches a six-month Saturday campaign by the Town Council to entice visitors into the town.