Let The Games Begin

With just a week to go until the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – which take place from July 28 to Aug. 8 — VisitBritain is ramping up its activity to boost visits from Canada in the run-up to the Games and beyond.

VisitBritain is hosting 19 top travel trade buyers and travel agents from Canada on tailored educational visits to Birmingham and the West Midlands during the Games, providing the chance to try first-hand the latest tourism products and experiences.

The first of the trade visits gets underway July 24, with the last one finishing up on Aug. 10, will see participants attending sporting events at the Games including the opening or closing ceremony as well as visiting destinations and attractions across the West Midlands region in England. Experiences range from a river cruise exploring Shakespeare’s Stratford-Upon-Avon, a culinary course in the heart of Birmingham’s Balti triangle and chocolate tasting at the world-famous Cadbury’s Chocolate World to a trip back in time at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, where parts of the Peaky Blinders TV series were filmed.

VisitBritain’s latest research indicates pent-up demand for international travel from Canada. Seventy-seven per-cent of Canadians it surveyed were keen to take an international leisure trip in the next 12 months, 51% definitely would and, of those, 56% had not yet booked or decided where to go, valuable opportunities for VisitBritain to influence decision-making, destination-choice and bookings.

Flight bookings from North America to the UK are also continuing to show strong recovery, currently tracking ahead of 2019 levels.

VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates said: “Canada is a very important inbound tourism market and we are delighted to be hosting Canadian travel buyers, travel agents and media during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, showing that Britain is packed full of fresh and exciting experiences to come and enjoy right now and that our industry is ready to welcome back visitors and provide a first-class experience.”

Yates continued: “We are also excited to be working with the Canadian travel trade to showcase the vibrant and diverse West Midlands region in England. From its renowned heritage and buzzing city attractions to its contemporary culture and innovative food and drink scene, the West Midlands is packed with exciting experiences for Canadians to enjoy in the lead-up to the Games and beyond.”

VisitBritain’s CEO noted that: “We know there is pent-up demand for travel, our connections with Canada run deep and major sporting events are proven tourism draws. The Games, set to be watched by a global audience of hundreds of millions, will also show our hospitality and warm welcome to the world as well as Britain’s ability to host events of the highest calibre.”

Go to www.visitbritain.com/birmingham2022 for more.