For vacationers planning for a late-summer holiday abroad, the United Kingdom (UK) is laying out an enticing tourist spread, with the upcoming Commonwealth Games billed as the main course. And with Birmingham being the Games venue, the call is to explore a less frequented part of England — the West Midlands.
The UK has opened up from March 18 to visitors. “No passenger locator forms, no Covid certificate, no quarantine hotel, no lateral flow test two days after arrival... ware open for business and for holidays,” announced British deputy high commissioner Nick Low. He was speaking at an event organised recently in the city by VisitBritain, the British tourism authority.
“We have not one but three global tourism draws coming up — Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Unboxed, the UK-wide celebration of creativity,” said Vishal Bhatia, country manager, VisitBritain.
The UK government has funded a £24 million Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) over three years to convert the interest in the Games into trade, tourism and investment opportunities for Birmingham and the West Midlands.
British deputy high commissioner Nick Low addresses the meet
VisitBritain has a £2 million funding from the BATP, specifically, for a two-year programme, working with the West Midlands Growth Company, to promote the West Midland as a tourism destination in Australia, Canada and India.
The Games, to be held from July 28 to August 8, will be the biggest sporting and cultural event ever held in Birmingham, officials say. Alongside the Games, a six-month cultural festival has been organised. The Birmingham 2022 Festival, underway since March, celebrates creativity across the West Midlands.
“We’ve lifted the travel restrictions in time for you to join the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the first week of June,” said Low. The jubilee weekend starts with the Queen’s Birthday Parade on June 2 by guards and soldiers. Sandringham and Balmoral will also be open for visitors. The day after, the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral.
On June 4, some of the world’s greatest entertainers are slated to perform at a concert at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the most significant moments from the Queen’s reign.
A Platinum Jubilee Pageant has also been planned in London for which performers will tell the story of the Queen’s reign through a pageant that will include a River of Hope section made up of 200 silk flags that will make its way through The Mall, appearing like a moving river.
In July, three displays, marking the Queen’s accession to the throne, the coronation and jubilees, will be put up at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The Queen’s Baton Relay, that has been travelling around the Commonwealth, will arrive in Birmingham for the opening ceremony of the Games on July 28.
At the event, the deputy high commissioner gave a presentation on what visitors may plan for. “You will feel at home in Birmingham, which has got a big population of people of Indian origin. There are loads to do there. You must visit the Black Country Living Museum. It takes you back to the age when the West Midlands really was black country because of smoke given off from burning coal. There is complete recreation of what industry was like then. Demonstrations are given on the making of sweets to horseshoes,” said Low, adding another compelling point to the to-do list — shopping. “Birmingham has Primark, probably the world’s biggest discount clothing store, spread over 160,000 sq ft,” he said.
Low spoke of attractions in the entire country. “Go to Shakespeare’s Stratford-on-Avon — the most magical, inspirational and atmospheric experience you can have. You can do all sorts of things around Shakespeare, like taking a Latin lesson in the school he went to. There’s Warwick castle. The medieval city of Coventry was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and is now the UK City of Culture. A magnificent cathedral has been built around the ruins of the old one.”
Tickets for the Games, hosting 19 sports over 11 days, are already on sale online, a VisitBritain official said.
Vishal Bhatia, country manager, VisitBritain
Travel industry representatives who arttended the event are bullish on the announcements. “All flights, domestic and international, are going 80 per cent full. People are gaining confidence with the passage of time. Till now, there was only VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel. Now there will be tourists too. UK-bound travelers used to go to London, Bath and Dublin. This will be an off-beat destination for us to sell. Under the air bubble, we had limited inventory. With the skies opening up, there will be more flights and seats at lower fares. The jump will be tremendous,” said Manav Soni, the eastern region chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India.
Sanjeev Mehra, vice-president of the India branch of Skal International, a global organisation of tourism leaders, pointed to the robust response to international sports events. “For the 2019 World Cup, about 500 people had gone to Leeds from my agency. Last year, we took 450 people to Dubai to watch IPL. They did not flinch to pay even Rs 1.20 lakh for air tickets. We hope to get good response to the Commonwealth Games as well,” Mehra said.
“For two years, we sat at home. Now for the next two years, we will sit in office,” Soni summed up, laughing.