Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium is now worth £130m every year for the country, it has emerged.
A recent report, carried out for the Welsh Rugby Union by Econatcive, found that the ground draws in more than 700,000 paying visitors annually – a figure expected to continue for the next three years.
It was confirmed that the stadium – which provides more than 2,500 jobs – is worth around £17m to the supply chain supporting it, with an additional £15m in direct on-site sales.
The results of the report were unveiled at the recent Event Wales International Conference by First Minister Carwyn Jones, who called the grounds a ‘key component’ of what the country can offer when looking to host major events.
According to Wales Online, Jones explained that the venue aims to attract a number of important events, potentially bringing in visitors from the rest of the UK and overseas.
The Millennium Stadium is now ranked among Britain’s top 10 visitor attractions.
For sports venues of any size, hosting a broad range of events – such as conferences and music concerts – is an effective way to expand the importance of the site beyond the sphere of sports fans. Services such as poster printing, in Cardiff and other Welsh cities and towns, are typically used to advertise upcoming events.
Speaking further about the study, Jones said it was commissioned in a bid to reveal the significance of both the stadium and the Welsh Rugby Union.
He confirmed that it has generated close to £1bn for the Welsh economy in recent years.
