Cadw Shoulder Season Survey: 2024

The Cadw Shoulder Season Visitor Survey 2024 collected demographic data, measured customer satisfaction and investigated motivations for visiting Cadw sites during the autumn of 2024. Face-to-face surveys were carried out at 8 of the busiest Cadw staffed monuments.

Main findings

24% of autumn visitors come from Wales, and 61% from the UK outside Wales. This broad geographical profile does not differ significantly from peak summer season either.

Autumn attracts a higher proportion (19%) of 25 to 34s compared to summer. 

Autumn also attracts a higher proportion (12%) of DEs than in summer (7%). 

The motivation for visiting does not differ significantly from the summer. ‘Interest in castles / historic sites’ remains the dominant motivation – cited by 58% as the main reason for visiting.

About half (51%) of autumn visitors describe their experience as ‘better than expected’.

Nearly all (90%) visitors ‘strongly agree’ that their ‘overall experience is or was good’. 

Most (77%) ‘strongly agree’ that the site is ‘good value for money’.