Visit Britain/Visit England to relocate headquarters to Birmingham
National tourism agency Visit Britain/Visit England is to relocate its headquarters from London to Birmingham in April 2024.
It said Birmingham was chosen for providing "strong international and UK transport links" and a breadth of "local talent".
A number of other government departments have recently made the move to opening offices in the West Midlands, including HM Revenue & Customs in Birmingham; Homes England in Coventry; and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in Wolverhampton.
Figures from the national tourism agency showed Birmingham welcomed 141m visitors in 2022, with visitor spend rising to a record £14.1b.
VisitBritain/Visit England has also worked with Birmingham, Solihull and Black Country LVEP (Local Visitor Economy Partnership) in the past and delivered the Commonwealth Games in the city in 2022 under the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP).
The tourism agency will continue to work with the West Midlands Growth Company to secure office space, source staff and build closer relationships with partners and educational institutions in the region.
Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, said: "The West Midlands Growth Company led a decisive bid that showcased the West Midlands' irrefutable strengths as a growing and successful headquarter economy.
"VisitBritain/VisitEngland's decision to establish its new office in Birmingham is testament to the well-evidenced talent pool, transport connectivity and business support infrastructure we have in place to enable important and far-reaching organisations to thrive."
Patricia Yates, CEO of VisitBritain/VisitEngland, added: "Following many months of careful consideration, we are delighted to announce that VisitBritain/VisitEngland will be opening a new hub office in Birmingham from April 2024.
"We are currently in negotiations on office space in central Birmingham and will announce the site once confirmed. We will keep an office presence in London to maintain our relationships with key government and industry stakeholders."
