The West Midlands welcomed a record 101 million visitors spending £14bn in the region last year, with concerts and sporting events helping
to drive the growth, a report has revealed.
According to the report compiled by Global Tourism Solutions
for the West Midlands Growth Company, 2.8 million more people chose to spend
time in the region - which covers Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and
Solihull – in 2024, a 2.9% rise on 2023.
Analysis shows that recreational activities, such as
watching music concerts and theatre shows; visiting museums and tourist
attractions; or participating in or being a spectator at a sporting event, have
seen the biggest increase (10%) in tourist expenditure, although shopping remains
the most valuable sector to the West Midlands, comprising 47% of the total
direct spend.
Major events held in the region in 2024 included Brian Adams
and Sean Paul concerts at the CBS Arena; extreme sport festival the FISE
Xperience series in Wolverhampton and the ‘Olympics for sports organisers’
SportAccord at the ICC Birmingham. Aston Villa Football Club, which celebrated
its 150th anniversary, welcomed international football fans
for the first time in 40 years as it returned to the Champions League, and Birmingham’s
iconic chocolate business Cadbury celebrated 200 years since it first opened a shop in the city.
West Midlands mayor Richard Parker, said: “The West Midlands
really is the best place to visit. We’ve got bags of history, beautiful
architecture, colourful stories, exciting attractions and top-class venues. Not
forgetting the dedicated workers in the sector who are ready to go the extra
mile to make every experience unforgettable.
“We will continue to go all out to attract even more
international sporting, cultural and business events, while investing in our
public transport and other amenities so visitors can easily explore everything
the West Midlands has to offer.”
Katie Trout, director of destination, marketing & insight
at the West Midlands Growth Company, said: “No one should pretend that there
don’t remain strong economic headwinds for our region’s tourism and hospitality
venues, but it is testament to their hard work that even more people are
choosing to spend their time in Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and
Solihull.
“With the West Midlands attracting increasing levels of
leisure tourists and visitor spend for activities such as concerts, cultural
events and sporting fixtures, it shows the importance of creating a
world-class, packed and varied calendar for everyone to enjoy.”
