All of us who live here know what a wonderful place Monmouthshire is with our stunning countryside, lovely river valleys and delightful towns and villages. And the word is getting out - last year we welcomed more than two million visitors.

Our ‘welcome economy’ is thriving, despite many of the challenges and pressures on the cost of living. So far this year even more people have come to stay in local hotels and guesthouses, and I am delighted to see several more have opened lately.

As you may know, we offer something for everyone - from campsites to farm stays, holiday cottages to high-end hotels.

Visitors come for our scenery, to walk the hills, soak up the atmosphere at our historical sights and now, increasingly, for festivals and events. They add to those who are just looking for a relaxing weekend or are visiting family and friends.

Our small council tourism team are dedicated experts, working often behind the scenes in support of tourism offers and hospitality businesses.

If you haven’t used it, you may well learn more about the area around you from the Visit Monmouthshire website which showcases the best of what the county offers and is a useful resource listing what is going on in the area, suggesting things to do, and giving details of where to stay and where to eat. Our team also fly the flag internationally and, as a result, we welcome a growing number of overseas visitors too.

Locally, our hospitality industry employs more than three thousand people, added to which visitors help to support our shops and pubs, restaurants, take-aways and food businesses.

And we are always keen to learn from visitors to Monmouthshire, who look at our county with fresh eyes and often appreciate that which we don’t fully credit ourselves and can offer helpful ideas about where we can improve.

Now, next Saturday (Note to Ed: 6 September 2025) we will welcome thousands of visitors for Stage 5 of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men’s Cycle Race.

Starting in Pontypool Park, the route travels back and forth across Monmouthshire and finishes with a double ascent of The Tumble, a steep climb on the road from Abergavenny up towards Blaenavon on the Blorenge mountain. Taking in Usk, Monmouth and Chepstow, the route will be televised, showing our magnificent scenery to people around the world as they watch the drama of the race.

Rolling road closures have been carefully planned to minimise local disruption. And bear in mind that this will be a huge event for our county, with contestants and their support staff and cycle race fans supporting the local economy. Our own staff will be working to help ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.

It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase our county at its best and perhaps an important springboard for events in the future. Not to mention the thrill many of us will have from watching world-class long-distance cyclists close up.