Venues and locations in the West Midlands venues and locations, which have appeared in film and on television, have been showcased as part of a new, multi-year, global campaign by VisitBritain.
Starring GREAT Britain is being promoted across VisitBritain’s major inbound markets, including the USA, Australia, France, Germany and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, and highlights destinations, including the West Midlands, which have been used in filming and seen on screen. The campaign capitalises on the growing travel trend known as set-jetting – and aims to inspire more visitors to discover and stay longer, driving visitor spending into local areas.
A new tourist guide displaying the West Midlands’ well-known and under-the-radar filming locations has been launched to celebrate the new campaign. The 24-page brochure gives national and international visitors a handy overview of the West Midlands’ backdrops, which have graced the big and small screen. These include the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley (Peaky Blinders), Grand Central in Birmingham (Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) and Coventry Cathedral (This Town; Nativity!). The guide also includes destination profiles, fun facts and ideas for tourists on what to experience and where to eat and stay.
Neil Rami, Chief Executive, West Midlands Growth Company, said, “The West Midlands has provided iconic backdrops for many of the television and film smash hits, which viewers have been glued to in their living rooms, on their smartphones and throughout our cinemas.
“For the first time, this new guide puts together the region’s eminent filming locations – past, present and future – in one place. I hope it encourages more ‘set-jetters’ to come and visit the West Midlands to put themselves at the heart of the filming action.”
The guide’s launch comes as fans await the new feature film Peaky Blinders, the global smash hit BBC drama set in Birmingham. The series was named the world’s most popular Netflix release in a 2021 study. It has also been credited with increased domestic and international visitors to the West Midlands, walking tours, a dance theatre event and escape rooms.
Steven Knight, British screenwriter, director and creator/writer of Peaky Blinders said, “I’ve always been proud of Birmingham and the wider region – for what it has achieved in the past and for its potential in the future.
“Exciting things are happening here and we’ve got ambitious plans to make TV and movies on an international scale from our new Digbeth Loc. Studios. We’re setting up in the heart of, what was once, Peaky Blinders country. I want people to come and experience it for themselves and enjoy what a fantastic area this is.”
WMGC and VisitBritain have already welcomed international media from countries including Germany, India and China to celebrate the Starring GREAT Britain campaign, visiting the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, joining a behind-the-scenes tour of Digbeth Loc. Studios and exploring Birmingham’s famous canals.
The West Midlands will host the first-ever World Screen Tourism Summit, SET-JET 25, at the ICC in Birmingham. Taking place on Friday 21 November, the event will showcase UK and international best practices in the growing market for set-jetting. The Summit will feature expert speakers worldwide on film tourism marketing, destination branding and visitor management.
Click here to find out more about the West Midlands Growth Company.
