The Second City : what tourism has done for Birmingham

Local TV

Once most famed for its industry, Birmingham is now a tourist hot spot, in fact, recent data from the Office of National Statistics rank the second city fourth in the number of overnight visitors in the UK. And that Tourism offer has recently been strengthened with the opening of a new hotel The Leonardo in Westside  In 2022, Birmingham and the West Midlands witnessed a tourism boom with the hosting of the Commonwealth Games and related events. Although this year lacks comparable big events, the hotel looks to thrive with a significant number of bookings.   A spectacular opening celebration marked the debut of the new hotel on Broad Street in Westside Birmingham. As the most visited entertainment district in the Midlands, the area's Business Improvement District is confident that the property will further enhance the already thriving offerings, adding to its allure.  There has been a concerted effort to improve the environment of Birmingham and the city centre has been transformed and this investment has started to pay dividends, tourism now accounts for around 130,000 jobs in the West Midlands and is an increasingly important part of the local economy.

Transcript

00:00 Birmingham's come a long way in the last 20 years to reinvent itself as a tourist attraction.

00:10 The second city is now the fourth most visited in the UK, a position that many hope will

00:14 be bolstered by the opening of this new four-star hotel right here on Broad Street.

00:21 Once most renowned for its industry, Birmingham has transformed into a thriving tourist destination.

00:27 Data from the Office for National Statistics places the city fourth in the UK for the number

00:33 of overnight visitors.

00:35 The city's tourism offer has been further enhanced with the opening of a new luxury

00:40 hotel, the Leonardo Royal.

00:42 We've invested £8.4 million in this property alone. We have got 445 bedrooms, all of which

00:51 have been refurbished, 20 conference rooms which have been refurbished.

00:56 In 2022, Birmingham and the West Midlands witnessed a tourism boom with the hosting

01:00 of the Commonwealth Games. Although this year lacks comparable big events, the hotel looks

01:05 set to thrive with a significant number of bookings.

01:08 So with the investment comes lots of jobs. We're a four-star plus brand now, so that

01:14 in itself brings some new positions. We have a food and beverage director, we have some

01:20 concierge positions.

01:21 A spectacular opening celebration marked the debut of the new hotel on Broad Street in

01:26 Westside Birmingham. It's the most visited entertainment district in the Midlands and

01:31 the area's business improvement district is confident that the property will further enhance

01:36 the already strong offer.

01:38 This investment by the Leonardo Group is absolutely incredible. It's adding to the currently already

01:44 existing hotels which we have in the area and it just builds on the strength which we

01:48 currently have. We have a wide range of hotels, we have bars, we have clubs, we have destinations

01:54 for family days out and we are really excited as to what this will bring to the area.

01:58 For more than two decades there's been a concerted effort to improve the environment of Birmingham

02:02 City Centre, which has been transformed. This investment has started to pay dividends. Tourism

02:08 now accounts for around 130,000 jobs in the West Midlands and is an increasingly important

02:13 part of the local economy.

02:15 Even from the 70s we've had a really strong reputation for business tourism, so we've

02:21 hosted many conferences and international congresses and exhibitions. And then over

02:26 that period I think we've recognised the value of major global sporting events and cultural

02:32 festivals and that's really helped to build that leisure tourism side as well.

02:37 The West Midlands Growth Company focuses on inward investment, capital attraction and

02:41 the visitor economy for the region. They welcome the investment by the Leonardo Group.

02:47 It's a marker in two ways. So on one side it's really, really beneficial to our businesses

02:53 because it's shouting out that this is a place which really strong businesses invest in and

02:58 that's a really, really important message for us to be able to give to all sorts of

03:02 other investors as well. But on the flip side for our tourists, both our business visitors

03:07 and our leisure visitors, it just broadens the attraction. You've got a broad range of

03:11 accommodation offer and you've got really, really high quality. People might not have

03:15 associated with the city and the region.

03:17 It's a really exciting time for Birmingham and we're so proud that we're one of the big

03:21 hotels that can play a part of that.

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