Hotel occupancy in Birmingham between June-August 2017 reached an all-time high of 75% with sporting fixtures and cultural festivals helping the city’s hoteliers reach the seasonal peak.
Year-on-year occupancy rises were up in June (3%), July (2%) and August (2%) at the region’s hotels, according to latest data from the West Midlands Growth Company’s Regional Observatory and STR Global.
Revenue per available room (RevPAR) also rose to £48, a £4 increase on the average figure recorded in summer 2016.
Five matches of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy were staged at Edgbaston Stadium and the country’s first Day/Night Test Match between England and West Indies also contributed to the record figures.
In June, Edgbaston Priory Club hosted the Aegon Classic Birmingham, won by double Wimbledon tennis champion Petra Kvitova, and fans said their goodbyes to Sir Mo Farah at the Müller Grand Prix in August.
Birmingham City Council Leader Cllr Ian Ward said: “These record-breaking figures outline Birmingham’s growing popularity as a tourist destination. There’s no doubt that our rich calendar of sporting and cultural events is a huge attraction. People enjoy coming to Birmingham for major events and importantly many of them come back time and time again.”
Other major cultural events in Birmingham over the summer included The Big Sleuth public art trail; Dinosaurs in the Wild at the NEC; the Colmore Food Festival; and the Custard Factory’s Summer Jam.
Emma Gray, director of marketing and communications at the West Midlands Growth Company, which operates the region’s leisure and business tourism programmes Visit and Meet Birmingham, added: “Confidence in the region continues to grow, which is reflected in the tourism sector with an all-time, seasonal high for our hoteliers and an additional 13 accommodation venues in the pipeline – amounting to more than 2,000 extra bedrooms.
“With a busy Christmas in the region fast approaching, we’re also looking ahead to 2018. Our visitor offer will be boosted by the launches of Legoland Discovery Centre at Arena Birmingham and The Bear Grylls Adventure at the NEC. With the return of the World Indoor Athletics Championships and International Dance Festival Birmingham, there will be something for everyone to enjoy in the region next year.”
Hotels that have opened in 2017 include Holiday Inn Express Birmingham City Centre at Arena Central and No.8 Waterloo Street, featuring 31 self-serviced apartments. Next summer, Hilton Garden Inn will open at Birmingham Airport, and a new hotel and conferencing facility will launch in autumn 2018 at the University of Birmingham’s main campus in Edgbaston.
Venues including Hallmark Hotel and Radisson Blu have also transformed their offerings, following significant refurbishments.
Hina Simpson, general manager at Radisson Blu, said: “The summer was a really positive time for the city, with so many events and activities bringing people into Birmingham, and we hope the positive momentum continues leading up to Christmas with the German Markets and festive events just a matter of weeks away.”
With a 52% increase in overseas visitors to Birmingham in the past five years, the West Midlands Growth Company – through its tourism programmes – has recently undertaken successful sales missions in the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, China and South East Asia to promote the region’s leisure and business tourism offer internationally. This is fundamental to the West Midlands’ visitor economy strategy, working closely with Visit Britain and Visit England to ensure the region’s offer is promoted in key international markets. In November, the Growth Company team will also meet with representatives from 17 of Visit Britain’s international markets, to share news and discover ways to collaborate on future projects.
