Peaky Blinders (Studio) Attraction Feasibility Study

Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK, and gateway to the West Midlands destinations. It successfully hosted the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and there is great appetite to maximise the legacy benefits for the visitor economy, including for tourism and hospitality industry partners, regional employment, and to raise the profile of the city and region for placemaking and reputational benefit. While still in the recovery phase from Covid restrictions, and thus not yet back to 2019 volume and value levels, Birmingham's visitor economy contributed over £6 billion to the local economy in 2021. The city attracted nearly 32 million visitors, an increase of 11.6 million visitors from 2020. The number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by direct and indirect tourist activities rose by 64% between 2020 and 2021, from 34,882 to 57,334. The Peaky Blinders series on BBC and Netflix has, in some senses, transformed the perception of Birmingham for both domestic and international audiences and put the city on the map. WMGC attendance at national and international showcases of Birmingham and the West Midlands, has highlighted that the Peaky Blinders brand holds a strong association for travel trade and consumer leisure markets, particularly in the UK and USA / Canada. Peaky Blinders were voted as one of the top five most popular figureheads associated with the West Midlands by national and international leisure travellers according to findings from the latest perception survey (2022) conducted by the West Midlands Growth Company. WMGC believes that Birmingham's association with Peaky Blinders is currently under-exploited for the visitor market. There are three Peaky experiences currently on offer in the Midlands - a walking tour, the Black Country Living Museum's (BCLM) occasional 'Peaky Nights' (plus visitors attend BCLM to see where filming takes place at the museum's wharf), and a Peaky Blinders Escape Room experience. The Rambert Dance Company has also produced a Peaky Blinders ballet, which opened in Birmingham in 2022 and is now on tour. There is existing evidence of market failure (there are frequent requests from press and travel trade for Peaky experiences), and with a Peaky Blinders film expected to film in the region in 2023, there is a significant opportunity to associate West Midlands' destinations with a strong Birmingham and West Midlands identity for a core market segment (experience seekers). The Film and TV related visitor market has grown significantly in recent years, coinciding with the increased global distribution of film and TV content via streaming services. This presents a major opportunity for the West Midlands: https://www.filminginengland.co.uk/screen-tourism/ What is screen tourism? | nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Aims A comprehensive feasibility study which advises on the viability of a permanent Peaky Blinders themed visitor attraction / experience being located in Birmingham; and ...

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Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No