Tourism growth tested against real jobs and pay

Local TV

The West Midlands recorded more than 100 million visits last year, with £14 billion spent. We look at what drove the rise, how it’s measured, and what it means for local jobs and businesses.

Transcript

00:00The numbers point to growth in the visitor economy. Around 101 million trips were made

00:07in 2024 with total spend reaching £14bn. That includes everything from shopping and

00:13meals to hotel stays and event tickets. The claim is that this creates more shifts,

00:18more hours and more local income. But most of those trips were day visits,

00:22which usually mean less money left behind. Major events are highlighted as drivers,

00:28Aston Villa's European Games, big arena concerts, the Cadbury Anniversary and international

00:34conferences here in the city. Those occasions clearly draw crowds. The real question is whether

00:40the boost filters through into steadier local jobs and stronger businesses beyond the city centre.

00:48I haven't in the last year. I had previous. For example when the Commonwealth Games were on.

00:54That made a massive difference and that was definitely visible around Birmingham.

00:58In the last year I haven't noticed any increase but I definitely noticed it in general.

01:02I definitely see the just sort of really openness to people in the area and I actually think the

01:10vast majority of people are really welcoming. Yeah I have. I live 30 miles north of Birmingham now.

01:16I'm originally from Birmingham. We always make a point of coming in, seeing what it's like and

01:22actually just the excitement and the vibe when you speak to people locally. People want to come to

01:25Birmingham for a nice hour or weekend? Yes I have. In certain areas like High Street and New Street,

01:32they've become more, there's a lot of footfall and also in the ball ring and especially on weekends.

01:39There's an awful lot of people here, yeah. There's also the matter of how the figures are counted.

01:45Last year's totals were reported on a wider regional footprint, while this year's focus is on the core area of

01:52Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and the Black Country. That means comparisons are not always like for like.

01:59It does not take it away from the fact that more visits are being recorded, but it does mean the

02:04headline of a record year needs to be understood carefully. For people working in hospitality or retail,

02:11what matters is whether the trend is genuinely rising over time, not just how the boundary is drawn.

02:18Clear, consistent data to what gives confidence to plan ahead. Probably food and drinks.

02:25Yeah. We're doing a bit of a tour too, like we're going from here then to Stonehenge, so

02:30there's our full day tour they take us around the place, so.

02:32And then, yeah, today and the next day, yeah, spending in Birmingham, hopefully a little bit of shopping.

02:41There's a lot of entertainment that's available in Birmingham, which is really good. And also

02:47the Black Country Museum, I think that's a popular venue for people. It's really, it's historical and

02:53it's, it shows the, um, the authenticity of Birmingham.

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