By Fionnuala Bourke

Copyright expressandstar

The West Midlands is celebrating a record number of 101.5 million visitors attending the region – that’s six million more than the landmark year of 2022 when the region hosted the Commonwealth Games.

West Midlands tourism bosses say the recreational offer – including concerts, tourist attractions and major sporting events – played a significant role in the increase.

According to a new report from independent research body Global Tourism Solutions for the West Midlands Growth Company – which covers Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Solihull – visitor numbers have passed the 100 million mark for the first time.

Some 2.84 million more people (2.9%) chose to spend time in the region last year compared with 2023.

The figure also represents an increase of six million people in comparison with 2022, when the West Midlands wowed the world at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

In what remains a very challenging economic time for tourism and hospitality businesses across the West Midlands and wider UK, the region’s visitor economy is now worth a record £14 billion, up £0.94 billion (7%) on the previous 12 months.

Who is visiting the West Midlands and what are they doing?

2024 marked the 150th anniversary of Aston Villa Football Club, which welcomed thousands of international football fans to the region as it hosted Champions League matches for the first time in 40 years.

Birmingham icon and international favourite Cadbury celebrated 200 years since it first opened a shop in 1824 selling cocoa and drinking chocolate in the city’s Bull Street.

Major events included Bryan Adams and Sean Paul concerts at the CBS Arena; a UK-first for Wolverhampton as it hosted the extreme sports FISE Xperience series; the Speedo Aquatics GB Diving Championships 2024 in Sandwell; and the ‘Olympics for sports organisers’, SportAccord at the ICC Birmingham.

The most common type of tourists to the region were day visitors – accounting for 89.8 million of the record total – with May and August proving to be the most popular months for visiting the West Midlands.

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 (a rise of £0.14 billion to £1.54 billion).

At £4.9 billion, shopping remains the most valuable sector to the West Midlands, comprising 46.6% of the total direct spend, followed by food and drink.

The number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by direct and indirect tourism activities now stands at an all-time high 114,475, an increase of 1,540 (1.4%) on 2023.

‘The West Midlands really is the best place to visit’

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Wow! A record 101 million visitors can’t be wrong: 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.

“These figures matter because a booming visitor economy means more jobs and more money flowing into our economy, which is good news for my Growth Plan as well as our region’s status and reputation.

“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: “Great visitor experiences start in the West Midlands. 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.”

Prof Dr Ugur Erdener, President of SportAccord, said: “Birmingham and the West Midlands delivered a fantastic event, bringing the international sports family together in the heart of a vibrant and diverse region.

“The region has a rich sporting and cultural history, and provided the perfect platform for more than 1,700 global leaders and decision makers to forge connections, strengthen relationships and explore new ideas.”