� IN FOCUS l HEART OF ENGLAND Commonwealth Games to boost Birmingham by £526m


Birmingham expects up to one million extra people will visit the city when it hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2022. It is also anticipated that the


2022 Commonwealth Games will generate a £526 million boost to the West Midlands region. Neil Rami, chief executive of the


West Midlands Growth Company and member of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Bid Committee, said: “This is the West Midlands’ moment to make its mark. “Hot on the heels of Coventry’s City of Culture success, Birmingham winning the 2022 Commonwealth Games is another tremendous endorsement for the region, providing an unprecedented opportunity to showcase its recent


resurgence and regeneration on an international stage. “Birmingham has enjoyed a 17%


increase in domestic tourists and a 52% rise in overseas guests since 2011. We anticipate the Games will create an enduring impact on the growth of domestic and international tourism in the region like never before, and look forward to providing an outstanding welcome to the many sports fans who will visit us.” As well as sporting activity, Birmingham will host the Games’ first cultural programme, highlighting the city’s diverse and youthful population, together with its rich industrial history and heritage. Birmingham welcomed a record number of visitors in 2016, with


Safari park’s pride marks 45th anniversary


West Midland Safari Park is celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2018 with the help of its pride of African lions – one of the first species to arrive at the attraction. Opened in 1973 by actress Sophia Loren, the Worcestershire attraction is now one of the largest in the Midlands. It has 837 animals, including a pride of 12 African lions, 21 Humboldt penguins and 13 ring- tailed lemurs. Visitors can also see Land of the Living Dinosaurs and Ice Age, with enormous animatronic


NEWS IN BRIEF


w Get set for a siege at Kenilworth Castle


English Heritage’s Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire will witness medieval living history, re-enactments and a siege over the August Bank Holiday (August 26-27). Associated with the love


Birmingham will host the


Commonwealth Games’ first cultural programme.


tourist numbers reaching 39.1 million, international visitors hitting 1.1 million and tourism revenue at an all-time high of £6.5 billion. marketingbirmingham.com


story between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the castle has an Elizabethan garden and new exhibition about John Davenport Siddeley, the founder of Armstrong


Siddeley Motors. english-heritage.org.uk


Cadbury World invites guests for breakfast


Cadbury characters such as Caramel Bunny and Freddo are now welcoming families for breakfast at Cadbury World. The new character breakfasts


take place in the Cadbury Café conservatory, and also offer priority entry to Cadbury World and its two rides – the 4D cinema and Cadabra. They are available on selected


prehistoric creatures. Last year, it opened Safari


Academy, which boasts five classrooms for visiting schools and education groups. wmsp.co.uk


dates in July and the summer holidays.


Meanwhile, children’s TV


favourite Rastamouse has joined the line-up of entertainment events at the attraction in Bournville, Birmingham. There also will be family


Tour Coventry


The UK City of Culture for 2021 – with Roger Bailey


Other tours include: Stratford, Warwick, Birmingham, Cotswolds, Oxford, Leicester and the rest of the Heart of England


Tel/Fax: 024 7669 1212 Email: bluebadgecov@aol.com www.bluebadgetouristguide.co.uk


22 TravelGBI | June 2018


magic shows over the summer holidays, followed by the Halloween Spooktacular (October 20-November 4) and Christmas Celebration Weekends, plus a new pantomime Jack and the Cocoa Beanstalk. cadburyworld.co.uk


Albatross swoops into Staffs and Shropshire


Albatross Travel has a new five-day tour called ‘Timeless Traditions in Shropshire’, with visits to Shugborough Hall, home of the late society photographer Patrick Lichfield, as well as a journey on the Severn Valley Railway, and a day in Telford visiting the Ironbridge Gorge Museums.


The tour also includes Acton Scott Historic Working Farm in the Shropshire Hills, to


experience life on a farm at the turn of the century. albatrosstravel.com


travelgbi.com


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