Hotel boost for Birmingham
Hotel occupancy rates in Birmingham increased in the last six months of 2011, according to a new survey.
Data released by LJ Forecaster revealed that the average hotel occupancy percentage in the city was 64 per cent for the period from July to December 2011 - 2 per cent up on the previous year.
The rate peaked at 74 per cent during November 2011.
Ian Taylor, commercial director at Marketing Birmingham, said: "These are positive results in what continues to be a challenging time for hoteliers.
"Consumers on a tight budget are enjoying city breaks in the UK rather than travelling overseas and Birmingham has taken full advantage of this.
"Events taking place during November – such as the opening of the Frankfurt Christmas Market, a number of high-profile music concerts, and the arrival of early Christmas shoppers led to a highly successful November for Birmingham's hotels, with occupancy rates on Saturdays reaching 92 per cent."
The Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham, which opened on 16 November last year, was said to have attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2011.
