West Midlands unveils £1bn tourism strategy
A regional tourism strategy to grow the West Midlands’ visitor economy by more than £1bn has launched today with the aim of creating 19,000 jobs.
The West Midlands Regional Tourism Strategy highlights how work to support the sector can help to grow its economic value from £12.6nn in 2018 to £13.7bn during the next decade, a 9% increase.
This growth will be achieved by attracting more domestic and international visitors, generating an estimated rise in spend of £1.1bn across the region.
Showcasing events such as Coventry City of Culture 2021 and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 to a wider audience are central to the strategy. It was developed by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) – which aims to attract visitors, investment and events to the region – with local and national partners that represent the sector.
Neil Rami, chief executive of the WMGC, said: “The visitor economy is critically important to the wider success of the West Midlands. Not only does this vibrant industry generate economic growth and new jobs – it also gives us a sense of place that we can be proud of, which other people want to experience or invest in.
“The new Regional Tourism Strategy provides a comprehensive, detailed framework that will help us to realise this industry’s potential. With major cultural and sporting events on the horizon, this is the perfect time to capitalise on the opportunities they will bring, and help the West Midlands to make its mark globally.”
The Regional Tourism Strategy comprises both leisure and business tourism, aiming to attract more major conferences and events as well as holidaymakers.
It is the first of its kind to be launched by a UK region since the government announced its Tourism Sector Deal in July 2019.
Attracting more international visitors to the West Midlands is a key element of and WMGC has identified a number of key markets to target including North America, Germany, China, and India.
Sally Balcombe, CEO of VisitBritain/VisitEngland, said: “The West Midlands offers visitors a unique experience – from its diverse cultural offer and rich heritage, to the international conferences and events it hosts every year. Its new Regional Tourism Strategy aligns with our ambition to develop the experiences our visitors can enjoy in the UK, and entice more people to come here.
“It is clear that organisations across the tourism sector in the West Midlands have really grasped the opportunity to work together, for the benefit of the whole region.”
Fiona Allan, artistic director and chief executive of Birmingham Hippodrome, and a board member of the WMGC, added: “The development of the Regional Tourism Strategy has relied on the public and private sectors collaborating closely, and it is great to see that activity is already underway to deliver its objectives. I look forward to working with partners in the tourism industry to achieve our aspirations for this thriving sector, boost its economic performance and create more local jobs.”
The launch of the Regional Tourism Strategy follows a year of success for the West Midlands. The region attracted a record 131 million visitors in 2018, a 2.6% increase on the previous year. Visitor spend rose by 6.7% to reach £12.6bn. Meanwhile, hotel monthly average occupancy rates reached an all-time high of 74.8%.
