Conjuring the same marketing tactics as the magic of Disney could put Wales on the world map as a top tourism destination - with the added bonus of having real castles.

That was the message of Ken Skates, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, when he addressed a meeting of an influential group of business leaders in Wrexham.

Mr Skates, who is also the AM for Clwyd South, was the keynote speaker at a meeting of the Wrexham Business Professionals at the town's Ramada Plaza Hotel.

The group of is made up of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors and accountants working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond.

Members at the packed meeting also heard from Manon Antoniazzi, Director of Tourism, Sport and Heritage for the Welsh Government, how Wales is bidding to attract more visitors from countries such as Germany and the USA.

According to Mr Skates, tourism in Wales had just hit a new high, with latest figures showing the country had attracted a record-breaking 10 million visitors in the past year – the best performance since the present recording system was set up in 2006.

It was vital to build on this success story and he suggested Wales could look at the approach used by the Disney global entertainment giant when it came to marketing its top attractions.

He said: “If there’s one company that is superb at selling its ideas and selling its brand it is the Disney Corporation.

“When you visit their theme parks you are presented with very distinct worlds, for instance the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and the Hollywood Studios.

“The image of each of them is as a safe place, a place for fairy tales and place for dreams, and I think we could look at Disney’s marketing principles when we’re thinking about Welsh branding and promoting what Wales does best to the world.

“However, I’m not saying we want to build another Disneyland in Wales because we have real castles of our own.”

Mr Skates outlined the importance of tourism to the whole country and North Wales in particular, which he said was “punching above its weight” on visitor numbers.

In Wrexham alone the industry generates £98.4 million a year and employs more than 1,610 people.

Developing tourism in North East Wales was a priority so that it was not merely an area through which visitors pass on their way to North West Wales. The aim was to persuade visitors to stay in the area longer than at present.