A new program that will help host the 2022 Commonwealth Games (held in Birmingham, England) to maximize its long-term economic impact has been unveiled.
Around 39,000 additional visitors are expected to travel to the UK by 2027, resulting in an estimated £12 million in additional spending.
The Business and Tourism Program (BATP) will focus on developing the games’ reputation in the United Kingdom to entice vital overseas markets to come and visit, trade, host events, and make investments in the country.
The brand will be interested in entities spanning the entire Commonwealth, plus the United Kingdom (UK) domestic market.
The BATP will begin operations in early 2021 and continue to do so through the end of 2023.
The organization seeks to lay the groundwork for Birmingham, the West Midlands, and more widely across the UK in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland regarding the long-term growth of the city’s economy.
As part of the project, £650 million of new foreign investment will be secured, with another £7 million of export deals also being created.
In addition to business and leisure tourism, the region’s long-term economic development plan calls for the creation of 1,000 new jobs, of which 500 will be located in the West Midlands.
Nigel Huddleston, the secretary of state for sport and tourism, commented: “Birmingham will host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. This is an opportunity for the UK as a whole, and the city in particular.”
This program aims to ensure that businesses in the West Midlands and throughout the country can recognize and exploit the chance presented by the popularity of games and the global reach of their audience of 1.5 billion people.
As a first step, we plan to boost the country’s overall level of development and help the tourism sector recover after the coronavirus incident.
This campaign will help Birmingham, the West Midlands, and the UK establish themselves as an excellent place for international trade, investment, and tourism.
Attracting visitors and the travel trade is a crucial strategy for short-term and long-term campaign scheduling, including dedicated festivals on domestic, international, and cultural fronts.
A central media program trip to get familiar with international travel and participation in overseas events is all on the agenda.
Visitor information to boost perceptions of the West Midlands’ digital ability will be provided by a digital visitor information network while information kiosks offer supplementary information.
VisitBritain CEO Sally Balcombe added: “With the completion of the games, we now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show people how much they have to see and how wonderful our tourism offerings are. This has the power to drive future travel, as well as serving as a great shot in the arm for the industry.”
Sporting events such as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games have shown a country’s standing in the international community to be positively affected. With the forthcoming Birmingham Commonwealth Games getting more visitors to explore the country, that will help stimulate tourism spending in the games and beyond.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Cultural Program and the Queen’s Baton Relay will both receive assistance from BATP.
