Birmingham firmly on the tourism map
BIRMINGHAM’S reputation as a visitor destination is on the up, according to new research released by Marketing Birmingham, the city’s strategic marketing partnership.
A study of more than 8,000 international and UK respondents carried out by the Regional Observatory, the research arm operated by Marketing Birmingham, reveals Birmingham is fast becoming a must-visit destination for tourists with more than three quarters (77%) planning to visit the city for a day trip, overnight stay or as part of a touring holiday.
With over a third (39%) of those who visited in the last year set to return for an overnight stay, Birmingham appears to be winning over tourists. The findings also reveal that the more recent their visit, the more positive tourists were about the city – Birmingham’s reputation as a visitor destination has grown by almost a third (32%) in the last five years. Increases were also seen in those rating it as good value for money (28%) and having excellent transport links (21%).
Neil Rami, chief executive of Marketing Birmingham – which operates the city’s leisure and business tourism programmes, Visit and Meet Birmingham -, said: “Today’s findings demonstrate that Birmingham’s appeal to international tourists is increasing and that our marketing campaigns are building the city’s reputation and attracting visitors in growing markets.
“In the current climate, there is no room for complacency. More needs to be done to attract international tourists to the city and we have a targeted strategy to increase visitor numbers from key markets such as the USA, China and Europe.”
The findings are backed up by the city’s record visitor numbers – Birmingham’s visitor economy has grown significantly over the last six years with visitor numbers rising by 10% to a high of 33.5m in 2011.
Some of the most popular activities for visitors to Birmingham were shopping (67%), visiting the city centre (59%) and sampling its food and drink offer (55%).
