Cardiff is building a reputation for world-class events. In recent years, the Champions League final was held in Wales capital, Ed Sheeran has claimed the title of holding the biggest ever gig in Wales during his recent spell, world-class boxing fights which draw crowds from all over the world. Our national football and rugby teams regularly host sell-out matches and yet one of the city's biggest draws - that is compact - is also its biggest drawback.
Visitors will regularly face transport issues when attending big events. Wales' football fans routinely struggle to get back to anywhere outside of south Wales after a game at the Cardiff City stadium. Visitors for the rugby internationals will find themselves in queues outside the stadium. And Ed Sheeran's recent visit to Cardiff saw estimates of 15 miles of tailbacks with the thousands of people coming to Wales stuck in traffic jams on the M4. Some people missed the concert due to the delays and issues were reported for those who used public transport.
On top of that, it has long been identified that Cardiff has a particularly small number of hotel rooms. When the Champions League final came to Cardiff in 2017, Cardiff had 4,000 rooms, a fraction of 76,000 previous host city Paris had, and even less than Berlin's 135,000. Cardiff's hotel numbers has gone to somewhere around 5,500, we understand, but even with double occupancy that is a fraction of the number needed for a sell-out event at the Principality Stadium. Airbnb prices reach hundreds of pounds for the nights of big events.
