Birmingham is swiftly becoming one of the top European destinations for visitors from the Far East and America. This has been reinforced by its inclusion on travel guidebook series Rough Guides’ top ten most exciting global destinations to visit in 2015 and tourism bodies in the city hope that this will fuel a further boom in visitor numbers next year.
According to Rough Guides, Birmingham ranks among popular global destinations including New Orleans, Wellington and Hamburg largely due to the fact it “embraces its industrial heritage”. However, more modern incentives are also proving to be a huge draw – as Rough Guides points out, “with Birmingham New Street Station reopening in 2015, this year is the ideal time to make a trip.”
Birmingham is the only UK city to appear in the list this year, indicating that international visitors are becoming slightly less enamoured by more traditionally popular cities such as London and Edinburgh. This is perhaps due to the worldwide economic conditions at present, as Birmingham is significantly cheaper to visit than these destinations at present.
Rough Guides representative Lottie Gross says; “Every year, Rough Guides editors and authors get together to compile a list of the destinations they think will be best to visit in the next 12 months.
“From the vibrant Bull Ring markets to the fashionable creative quarter in Digbeth, Birmingham makes a worthy entry in the 2015 list for its cultural variety, excellent shopping and a buzzing live music scene that’s among the best in the UK.”
2015 is certainly shaping up to be an exciting year for Birmingham as, along with the aforementioned reopening of New Street Station and the adjoining Grand Central retail scheme, the regeneration of Paradise Circus and the final phase of construction at the NEC’s Resorts World Birmingham leisure destination will be well underway.
Visit Birmingham’s director of marketing services Emma Gray hopes that these factors, along with the inclusion of the city in the Rough Guide top ten, will allow Birmingham to build upon the successes recorded in 2014.
She says; “Birmingham’s inclusion in Rough Guides’ acclaimed shortlist is testament to the city’s increasing appeal as one of the most attractive places in the world to visit.
“The city’s global reputation continues to grow: as well as welcoming a record 34 million people last year, Birmingham also attracted a 32 per cent rise in international visitors – a greater increase than anywhere else in the UK.
“With a spectacular 2015 in store thanks to a number of exciting new developments and events, we look forward to offering even more to our visitors next year than ever before.”
Hopefully, this time next year will see Birmingham welcoming another record breaking number of seasonal tourists for the festive season.
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