London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Birmingham expects surge of tourism following success of Commonwealth Games

Birmingham expects surge of tourism following success of Commonwealth Games

Event is on track to be most successful games in history with more than 1.5m tickets sold

Birmingham is expecting a surge of tourists over the summer as the city’s reputation receives a boost from the Commonwealth Games, business leaders said as the 11-day sports event comes to a close.

The event has been heralded as a roaring success for the Midlands city, with more than 1.5m tickets sold – making it on track to be one of the most successful Commonwealth Games in history.

“I can categorically say this will be the busiest August that Birmingham has ever enjoyed,” said Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company. “You just have to see the throngs of people in the streets. We were forecasting about 85% hotel occupancy, but talking to some hotel managers it’s nearer 95% so we’re pretty much full.”

Leaders are determined to use the momentum from the games to put the city forward for other major events, and on Monday the sports minister Nigel Huddlestone suggested it could even be a future Olympic host city.

“One of the elements of legacy is thinking about how we can use the facilities and the experience to bid for other major international sporting events, and I don’t think it’s an unrealistic ambition to say the Olympics could be one of them,” he said. “This was Birmingham’s opportunity to shine and they’ve absolutely embraced it. We had high expectations and it’s more than met that.”

The event’s closing ceremony on Monday night was a celebration of West Midlands musical talent, with UB40, Beverley Knight, Jorja Smith, Dexys and the Selecter all performing , followed by a sequence from the upcoming Peaky Blinders theatre show with music by Laura Mvula.

The ceremony was closed off with a surprise appearance by Ozzy Osbourne, who played Black Sabbath’s classic hits Paranoid and Iron Man with the rest of his former bandmates.

Ozzy Osborne and the rest of Black Sabbath perform during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.


The opening ceremony, starring education activist Malala Yousafzai and Duran Duran, featured a 10-metre-high mechanical bull which is now on display in Birmingham city centre and attracting thousands of tourists.

“The opening ceremony was the tipping point I think because it helped tell our story. And people’s perceptions of the city have definitely changed,” said Rami. “It just takes one thing to turn the switch I guess, and this seems to have done it.

“We’re already very good at holding major events. What the Commonwealth Games has done though, is ensure that the whole of the region has been engaged in it, and hopefully many people around the world have also seen it. So that’s the difference.”

Off the back of the games, Airbnb has announced a £500,000 legacy pledge for the region which will see it do more to showcase its cultural highlights, while the Business and Tourism Programme designed to leverage the economic benefits of the games has secured 10 further conferences and sporting events.

The 10-metre-high mechanical bull which featured in the opening ceremony is now on display in Birmingham city centre and attracting thousands of tourists.


The Birmingham 2022 chief executive, Ian Reid, said event organisers set out to boost pride in the region and they felt the positive reaction to the games showed they had achieved that.

“I think this city is now very much in the global spotlight, and we have no doubt that will generate a huge amount of increased tourism footfall and economic investment, and we’re looking forward to watching that growth,” he said.

Jess Phillips, the Birmingham Yardley MP, said she felt the event would help permanently shape the city’s identity across the country. “I’ve always thought Birmingham was an amazing city,” she said. “But it feels like the rest of the world has got to know what we have all known.

“It has been lovely to see the city through other people’s eyes and remind us that we’re very lucky to live here.”

She said she hoped the government would back up the games with a long-term plan for Birmingham, but the city would benefit regardless.

“I don’t think you will be able to undo the way that people in Birmingham, their expectations have risen,” the Labour MP said. “Loads of the venues have always existed here because we’re in the middle of the country. But they always felt like they were someone else’s, and now they feel like they’re ours.

“I think the legacy will be this sense of pride, confidence and feeling that these places are for us, and now we’re going to demand more from them.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×