Birmingham attracts record number of overseas visitors
BIRMINGHAM attracted a record number of overseas visitors in 2013, with numbers up by more than one third, latest figures show.
The Office for National Statistics figures show there were almost one million visits to the city last year (941,000) – an increase of 228,000 on 2012’s figure of 713,000.
With numbers rising by a third (32%) in the last year alone, Birmingham’s growth in attracting visitors is higher than any other city in the UK. The national growth of international visits was just 5.6%, while London managed 8.6%.
Birmingham is the fourth most visited city in the UK, after London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Birmingham has closed the gap on Manchester’s international visits from 219,000 to 47,000 in one year.
The reason for the increase is thought to be the city’s focus on key international visitor markets, including India and China. Direct flights from the two countries as well as the city’s strategy to target these areas are both thought to have been major factors for the increase.
Sales missions and campaigns with Chinese and Indian travel agents are also being cited as key reasons for the growth. With many booking trips online, inward investment body Marketing Birmingham said the data also pointed to a strong online offer and the ease of booking trips aboard.
The boost in Birmingham’s profile has also attracted record levels of investment, with foreign direct investment in 2012/13 up by more than 50% against a national increase of just 11%. This has been estimated as creating an additional 4,000 local jobs and is worth an estimated £174m to the local economy per year.
Emma Gray, Director of Marketing, Marketing Birmingham, said: “Traditionally we’ve been known as a national destination with visitors coming from across the UK for our shopping, food and attractions. This is now widening and Birmingham is on the international map.
“Working with (Birmingham) Airport as well as Visit Britain we have focused on raising the city’s profile with international travellers, both business and leisure. Top attractions last year such as the Black Country Living Museum, the new Library of Birmingham and the 50 festivals that took place within the city all attracted overseas visitors.
“Our strategy has been to target international visitors and to focus on markets with large numbers of potential visitors. Our geographical position enables us to be a gateway to the UK, visitors can be based here and easily travel to all parts of the country. We also like to think that our range of attractions and our reputation for being a city of food, our shops and our warm welcome are noticed and all make a real difference to how we are perceived overseas.”
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s chief executive and chairman of Marketing Birmingham, said: “These figures are testament to the partnerships in place to promote the city both in the UK and overseas and validates that Birmingham has become a world-class tourist destination.
“The airport broke the nine million passengers mark last year for the first time since 2009, launched several new routes including Amritsar, Bordeaux, Knock, Stockholm and Barcelona, and saw growth on existing routes such as Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, New York, Dubai, Knock and Istanbul; all key departure points for inbound tourists.
“This growth demonstrates that the airport is playing a vital role in connecting Birmingham with the world and we are continually growing our network, with further new routes launching this year to Beijing, Porto, Cologne, Florence and many more.”
