National Botanic Garden of Wales visitors 'up 45% in two years'

Visitor numbers to the National Botanic Garden of Wales have increased by 45% in the past two years, it has revealed.

The attraction in Llanarthney, Carmarthenshire, said its income had increased by 23% in the same period.

Director Huw Francis said the garden's appeal had been "broadened" by new features, including water zorbing and a tropical butterfly house.

It was previously feared that funding cuts threatened the garden's future.

Its outgoing director Dr Rosie Plummer, who left the post in January 2016, said she had been running the garden "on a shoestring".

At the time, the Welsh Government had announced it was reducing future annual funding to the garden by 11% to £581,000.

Carmarthenshire council also said its contribution would decrease from £70,000 in 2015 to £30,000 in 2017-18.

A Welsh Government-commissioned review of the attraction's finances in 2010 found the garden needed at least £700,000 a year in funding to operate.

Mr Francis believes a "more family-orientated" focus and new attractions have helped boost visitor numbers.

He said 94,929 people visited the garden in the first eight months of this year, up by 45.4% from 65,285 for the same period in 2015.

The increased footfall has also yielded a 23% rise in turnover, up from £1.2m in the first eight months of 2015 and a surplus of £144,000 to almost £1.5m and a surplus of £227,000 during the same period this year.

Mr Francis said: "The garden has been working hard at broadening its appeal and new developments are proving a big hit with local people and tourists alike.

"The target is for 10% year on year increases in visitors over the next five years."

The garden plans to introduce "glamping" next year in parts of its 568-acre (230 ha) site, which is host to more than 8,000 species of plants.