Tory leader questions visitor numbers at The Wave

TOO expensive and too often closed.

- By DAVID LAWRENCE News Reporter

That was the message from Coventry City Council's Conservative leader after it was revealed that visitor numbers at The Wave were a fraction of what had been anticipated.It was hoped that the city centre attraction, described as one of the UK's largest and newest indoor waterparks, would see 1.3m visitors every year but the actual number is around a third of that figure six years on from its opening.

In a written question to the cabinet member for public health and sport Cllr Kam Caan, Cllr Gary Ridley asked for an itemised breakdown of the actual annual visitor numbers along with the projected figure used in the original £36.7m business case. The figures show that from the 261,803 visitors in 2021/22 when there were times the centre was shut due to Covid, the numbers have risen to 458,295 in 2024/25.