Tourism operators in South Pembrokeshire received a major boost over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, with thousands of people flocking to popular seaside resorts and local attractions. Many businesses have expressed their delight at the positive start experienced to the holiday season, with hotels, guest houses and visitor attractions in the county enjoying a busy weekend. President of Tenby's Chamber for Trade and Tourism, Mr. Howard Lewis, felt that traders in the town would have been most satisfied with the start to the season. "There's been lots and lots of people around, with the fine weather suiting everyone," he reported. "Easter started later this year, meaning a later start to the season, but hopefully the trade will continue to rise and not drop back," added Mr. Lewis. Folly Farm had a "fantastic weekend", according Jo Broughton from their marketing department, with a record amount of visitors recorded for the Bank Holiday Monday. "The park was about as busy as it gets and customer feedback suggests that everyone had a great day," she said. "We're looking forward to a fantastic season after such a positive start, and I gather the other attractions have also had a good time, which looks great for the forthcoming tourist season," added Jo. Indeed, visitors to Oakwood were also up on last year, said a spokesperson for the theme park. "Visitor numbers to Oakwood over the Easter season so far have been up on predictions and we're expecting a good season. "We think the good turnout was down to a couple of factors. The weather forecast for the Easter weekend was good, therefore people were able to plan their day out with us, and we also have our new roller coaster Speed, which has proved a great new attraction," the spokesperson added. However, there was a mixed reaction from cafe owners situated near some of Tenby's popular tourist beaches, with the weather not proving ideal for building sandcastles or sunbathing. "It's been nothing special to be honest; the weather has been fairly decent, but it has not really been beach weather as there has been a cold wind in the air," said Jack Zeraschi, of the Fountains Cafe on South Beach. Dorothy Lindsay, though, of the Dennis Cafe above Castle Beach, felt that despite the lack of sunny weather, there were plenty of holidaymakers making the most of the sands. "It was a cracking weekend, with plenty of people around. Even though it has been a bit nippy, I think that people get more protection from the wind down on Castle Beach," she said. National Park sites and centres also reported a busy Easter weekend and Park rangers noted many caravans and camper vans on the county's roads. Carew Castle welcomed over 600 visitors, while at St. Davids National Park Centre, visitor numbers were up 25 per cent on those recorded over Easter weekend last year. Figures from Tenby's Tourist Information Centre between Good Friday and Easter Monday, showed that the total number of visitors passing through the doors was down on last year, with 965 in total recorded this year. The Easter holiday period also once again proved a very busy time for the county's police service. Officers throughout the division dealt with nearly 450 incidents during the long weekend, with some of those involving acts of violence, such as serious assaults, while others were more mundane. A total of 72 persons were arrested for various offences and processed at the county's central custody unit at Haverfordwest Police Station. "Once again, local officers had a busy few days and dealt with many incidents of all types," remarked Supt. Euros Lewis, Deputy Divisional Commander for Pembrokeshire. "I am concerned that of the 72 arrests during the long weekend period, 22 involved drink-fuelled violence or disorder. Three of my officers were assaulted, although fortunately not seriously injured," he added.
