The West Midlands welcomed a record 101.5m visitors in 2024, driven by concerts, sporting events, and tourist attractions across the region.
The data, compiled by Global Tourism Solutions for the West Midlands Growth Company, covers Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, and Solihull. It marks the first time visitor numbers have exceeded 100m.
The region saw 2.84m more visitors than in 2023, up 2.9%, and six million more than in 2022, the year of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Day trips dominated, accounting for 89.8m visits. May and August were the busiest months.
The region’s visitor economy is now worth £14bn, an increase of £940m (7%) on the previous year. Spending on recreation – including concerts, theatre, museums, and sports – rose 10% to £1.54bn. Shopping remained the biggest contributor at £4.9bn, making up nearly half of all visitor spend.
Tourism now supports 114,475 full-time equivalent jobs across the region, up 1.4% on 2023.
Richard Parker, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “A booming visitor economy means more jobs and more money flowing into our region. We’ll keep working to attract major events while improving transport and amenities for visitors.”
Katie Trout, director of destination, marketing and insight at the West Midlands Growth Company, added: “It’s testament to the hard work of our tourism and hospitality businesses that more people are choosing to spend their time here. A strong calendar of cultural and sporting events continues to drive growth.”
Major 2024 highlights included Aston Villa’s 150th anniversary, concerts by Ryan Adams and Sean Paul at Coventry’s CBS Arena, the FISE Xperience extreme sports series in Wolverhampton, the Speedo Aquatics GB Diving Championships in Sandwell, and SportAccord at the ICC Birmingham.