Swansea Beach which sits in front of the soon-to-be-demolished Civic Centre has won a top award from travel website TripAdvisor
Swansea Bay By Nigel Ward
First it was Gower’s Rhossili Bay that caught the eye of the world’s largest travel website, which placed it among the top 10 beaches on the planet.
Now Swansea Beach, which stretches along the city’s promenade from Blackpill in the west to the pier at Swansea Point in the east, has been given a top award by influential website TripAdvisor.
The beach, which sits in front of the soon-to-be-demolished Swansea Civic Centre, has been given TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence.
‘Award is testament to staff, volunteers and local businesses’
A Swansea council spokesman said: “It is overwhelmingly positive feedback from visitors about accommodation, attractions and eateries which leads to the award of the site’s prestigious certificates of excellence.”
Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea council’s cabinet member for enterprise, development and regeneration, said: “This award is especially satisfying because it’s come about thanks to positive feedback from people from all over the world who have visited Swansea Beach.
Swansea Beach
“Gower’s beaches are regularly praised for their quality so it’s terrific to see Swansea Beach joining the club.
“This award is testament to the work of our staff, volunteers and businesses in the area who do all they can to make sure the beach and promenade are befitting of the world-class views.
TripAdvisor reviews are important
“Our plans for the regeneration of the Civic Centre site into a city waterfront development also mean the area has an even brighter future ahead as we look to further boost the city centre and a tourism industry that’s already worth close to £400m a year to the local economy.
“The proximity of the waterfront to the city centre makes Swansea fairly unique so we’re determined to make the most of it while protecting our natural environment.”
Statistics show 58% of travellers say TripAdvisor reviews are an important factor when picking attractions to visit.
Other recent TripAdvisor accolades for Swansea include Rhossili Bay again being named among the UK’s best beaches this year.
Praise for the beach at Rhossili even annoyed elements of the Australian press who were irked that some of their top beaches were beaten to “top 10” status by the beautiful Welsh beach.
Australian travel writer Anthony Sharwood previously said it was “an insult” Rhossili beat bays Down Under in a top 10 beach list.
But he issued an apology in 2015 – after visiting Rhossili himself.
He wrote after his visit: “I was wrong. In truth this place is magnificent. I really was quite taken by Rhossili and I’m sorry I didn’t give it the credit it deserves.”
Tourism supports up to 6.000 Swansea Bay jobs
Mr Francis-Davies added of the Swansea Beach accolade: “Recognition of this kind further raises the profile of the destination.
“We’re promoting Swansea Bay as a destination for adventure this year so the quality of our beaches is clearly important if water sports or scenic coastal walks are the kind of activities potential visitors would like to base their holidays around.”
Figures show tourism supports close to 6,000 jobs in Swansea Bay.
A survey carried out in Swansea last year also showed the city’s coast and beaches influenced 40% of visitors from outside Wales and 44% of first-time visitors to make a trip.
Plans for ‘new Swansea’
Swansea council has announced £500m plans for a new look city centre and seafront based around its existing beach-front Civic Centre headquarters.
It will be demolished to make way for new offices, homes, cafe bars, restaurants and shops with sea views.
There are also plans for a seafront aquarium and an arena for concerts and other public events.
Read more: ‘I was wrong’ Australian journalist apologises for Rhossili rant – after visiting it himself!