Media office

Birmingham enjoyed a bumper year in 2007, with 1.5m people more visiting the city than in 2006.

The figures, compiled by Marketing Birmingham through its annual visitor survey, show that 31.9m people came to Birmingham last year for leisure and spent £4.4bn, highlighting the importance of tourism to the regional economy.

Neil Rami, Chief Executive of Marketing Birmingham said:  “We are delighted with the figures for 2007, not only have they increased by a phenomenal amount, the increase is 50 per cent more than that in the previous twelve months.  The message is clearly spreading that Birmingham is a great place to visit and has a lot to offer.  

“Tourism is a major economic driver and the increase in visitor numbers last year brought an extra £600m into the regional economy, boosting local businesses and supporting employment.  It is essential that we continue to support and grow the industry and there is no doubt that the next year to 18 months will be testing as people cut back on travel and spending.

“VisitBritain is predicting that 2008 will see modest growth in the number of inbound visitors coming to the UK, at around 2%, although it recently revised its forecast for an increase in the nominal value of inbound tourism to 1.4%.

“It remains a highly competitive marketplace and Birmingham must ensure it is offering choice, quality and individuality to attract visitors.  Shopping and food and drink were big pulls in 2007, as was recreation, indicating the importance of events which the city is beginning to really excel at.  Sport, the arts, history and heritage are all also areas that can be built on to promote growth.

“Events are also an excellent way of showcasing the city and recent successes such as the European Athletics Indoor Championships, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Style in the City, and the British Olympic team trials, as well as the forthcoming Conservative Party Conference all help to project Birmingham onto a national and international stage and help to position it as a first choice destination for leisure and business.” 

The figures were collated through the widely recognised STEAM model.  Increases in spend were seen in almost every sector, with food and drink performing particularly well and enjoying an increase in spend of £55m on the previous twelve months. 

Recreation saw an increase of £40.5m, demonstrating that Birmingham’s nightlife remains a force to be reckoned with and venues such as Symphony Hall, Birmingham Hippodrome, The Rep, cinemas and other attractions continue to draw in the crowds with world-class entertainment.

By far the biggest increase was once again seen in retail.  Visitors spent £242m more on shopping in Birmingham in 2007 than in 2006, totalling in excess of £1.6bn.  Peaks in spending were seen in January and December as people came to the city to snap up sale bargains and do their Christmas shopping.

Alan Chatham, Chair of Retail Birmingham said:  “To enjoy such a big increase in shopping spend at a time when people are talking of economic concern is a great achievement for our members and shows that Birmingham has an attractive retail offer with the right mix to ensure people keep coming back.  We have 1,000 shops in the city centre, including big brand names, designer boutiques, high street favourites and 100 independent stores and have been promoting the city as one destination through the Style Birmingham campaign which appears to be paying off. 

“Retail is taking a hit nationally and Birmingham cannot be immune to that, but such a strong performance last year certainly makes for a strong starting position to be able to weather the storm.”

The only monitored sector to show decline was accommodation, with a drop of £6m in spend compared to the previous year.  This was in line with a marginal decrease in bed stock in the city.  However, with developments including the five star Westin at Snowhill and further new hotels planned at The Cube, VTP 2000, Martineau Galleries, Newhall Square and the Irish Quarter to name a few, as well as extensive refurbishment programmes at hotels including the Crowne Plaza and The Belfry, a raft of new visitors will be encouraged to visit the city to try the facilities over the next two to three years.

Download Increase_in_visitor_numbers (.pdf 36.48 KB)