According to a recent report, visitor numbers to Birmingham and the West Midlands have soared. The report is the third annual Birmingham Economic Review, produced by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) and University of Birmingham’s City-Region Economic Development Institute (REDI).

It also highlighted a shift in perception of the West Midlands as an increasingly attractive place for investors and visitors. The region has actually been identified by the Department for International Trade as the leading region outside of London and the South East for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).

The majority of FDI projects were in the information, technology, and engineering and business, professional and financial services sectors.

In recent years Birmingham’s visitor economy has grown in both numbers and value. According to the report, the city’s visitor economy was worth £7.1bn in 2017, up 9.2 per cent on the previous record set in 2016.

The number of full-time jobs supported by tourism industry rose by 7.2 per cent between 2016 and 2017, from 70,635 to 75,748. Since 2009, the economic impact of Birmingham’s visitor economy has increased by over half – to £2.5bn.

At the very heart of the West Midlands is the Black Country, of course, and during 2018 more people visited the Black Country Living Museum than ever before. The museum announced the increase in visitors via its social media channels in January 2019, revealing that it welcomed 355,054 visitors through its doors during its 40^th anniversary year. That was a seven per cent increase on 2017 and its busiest year ever.

As part of the Black Country, Sandwell has a lot to offer visitors, from our industrial heritage to our 1,200 hectares of award-winning parks, playing fields and open spaces. And it’s not just a great place to visit but a great place to live and work too.

Located at the heart of the West Midlands and central to the country’s motorway and rail networks, we are connected to all the major cities and business centres across the country. The borough’s fast-growing business sector includes around 9,000 companies, which employ around 140,000 people.

Thanks to our excellent transport links, highly skilled workforce, cost-competitive location, and the re-generation that is taking place across the borough, more and more companies are looking to Sandwell to fulfil their business needs.

If your business is looking to move to Sandwell or re-locate within the borough our Property search can help you find a suitable property and don’t forget you can get lots of other business support and advice on our Business services pages.

 

[Images provided by: https://www.discoversandwell.co.uk/]