Businesses across Gwent will benefit from the construction of a Wales International Convention Centre at the Celtic Manor Resort, it has been claimed.

Paul Williams, PR manager at the Newport-based Celtic Manor Resort, said: "Construction work will be subject to the appropriate tender processes but the Celtic Manor Resort is always keen to engage local firms where possible, as shown in the construction of the Twenty Ten Course and Clubhouse for the Ryder Cup. It is very important to provide work to businesses in the surrounding area and boost the local economy where possible.

"The convention centre will also bring major benefits to Newport and the wider South East Wales City Region. The proposed new convention centre would have capacity for around 4,000 delegates. There are only 400 bedrooms at Celtic Manor, meaning that more than 3,000 delegates would be looking for accommodation in the surrounding area for the larger events. As well as hotel accommodation, business tourists spend money in surrounding cities and towns on transport, dining out, entertainment, shopping, cultural experiences and tourist attractions, he said.

The Welsh Government will provide match funding for the initial stage of the project . This will allow Celtic Manor management to submit outline planning consent next year. The project includes a state-of-the-art new auditorium, exhibition hall and complementary facilities. It is hoped that building work will start towards the end of next year, after the resort plays host to the NATO Summit next September, and that it would be open in 2016.

Mr Williams said: "This is the ideal site for the Wales International Convention Centre because of its excellent transport links adjacent to Junction 24 of the M4 and in close proximity to Newport railway station and the international airports at Cardiff and Bristol.

"The resort is already recognised as the number one conference hotel in the UK but it is forced to turn away a large amount of convention business every year because the existing facility does not have the capacity to stage the biggest events. The new centre will address that issue while benefiting from the existing conference facilities already on site which will be integrated into the new design.

"It would have the capacity to hold more international summits with bigger delegations than the NATO Summit already announced for September 2014. It would also be able to attract political party conferences, events for blue chip multinational corporations and the bigger associations like the British Medical Association."