THE summer of 2015 has been a bumper year for tourism in the Wye Valley, with visitor numbers, bookings and sales up compared to the same period in 2014.

Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association (WVFDTA) polled more than 300 members to ask how the season compared to last year and was overwhelmingly positive. 83 per cent of respondents reported that business in summer 2015 had been “better than 2014”, 12 percent reported “same as 2014”, and the remainder reporting “worse than 2014”.

The association received more visitors to its website and social media than ever before with year on year traffic up 26 percent to 168,021 visitors. Its Twitter followers increased by 14 per cent to 4,973; while Facebook followers increased by 59 percent from 1,088 to 2,717 year on year.

Ian Officer, chair of WVFDTA said: “The best kept tourism secret in Britain has come out of its shell.

“Thanks to the hard work of the association’s marketing team and our members’ dedication and commitment to their craft, the word is getting out that we have attractions for everyone. From award-winning accommodation and restaurants to top class food and drink artisans; we’ve got it all.”