Birmingham mounts social media campaign to woo festive visitors
TOURISM body Visit Birmingham has launched its annual bid to attract more visitors to the city’s festive events.
It has developed a new social media campaign – ‘Christmas is now trending in Birmingham’ to try and lure younger and more tech-savvy visitors. The campaign is designed to get people talking online about the region’s seasonal offer.
It has enrolled Birmingham-born presenter Emma Willis (Big Brother, I’m A Celebrity…, The Voice UK) to help champion the cause.
The campaign will use Twitter hashtags such as #festivefun, #shoppedtilidropped and #encore to encourage people to tweet about the activities they are enjoying across the city and inspire others to visit.
One of the highlights of the city’s festive season gets under way on November 14 with the now-traditional Frankfurt Christmas Market and Christmas Craft Market. The bustling event will once again feature treats, gifts, decorations and traditional German food and drink.
The multimedia campaign will also be highlighted on a dedicated section of the Visit Birmingham website – visitbirmingham.com/christmas
Emma Gray, director of marketing services at Visit Birmingham, said: “Last year Birmingham drew a record 33.8m visitors and we are looking forward to welcoming crowds of tourists this Christmas to enjoy a variety of attractions, suitable for all budgets and age groups.
“We have one of the country’s most vibrant food scenes and more than 1,000 shops, including superb independents, where you can buy anything from designer goods to little artisan-made gifts to hang on the tree. We hope visitbirmingham.com/christmas will be a useful tool for those planning a visit to the city, helping to provide them with a magical festive experience.”
As the biggest retail centre outside of the capital, Birmingham boasts more than 1,000 shops within a 20 minute walk, including hundreds of independent outlets and the oldest working Jewellery Quarter, which still produces an estimated 40% of all UK jewellery.
Jonathan Cheetham, Chair of Retail Birmingham, said: “The Christmas period is a hugely important time for both visitors and retailers in Birmingham city centre. With a retail offer that is second to none, this great city continues to be a first choice destination for Christmas shoppers from all over the UK and beyond.
“Visitors can enjoy the entire shopping experience in one destination. From the iconic Bullring shopping centre and the luxury of The Mailbox, to the four major department stores, hundreds of quality bars and restaurants and three historic arcades packed with independent retailers.”
Christmas now trending in Birmingham’ is also supported by the Southside BID and Jewellery Quarter BID.
