Originally Posted by
Bradley Hardacre
Not so well known in Prague I think
Absolutely, but the target audience for PRG/BHX is the UK short break market to Czechia rather than vice versa. Sadly, Birmingham isn't a big city-break destination for a number of factors including poor promotion by those who promote England abroad who sit in London, live close to London and believe the only draw for inbound European tourists is, yes you've guessed it, London!
Manchester, thanks to having two really successful football teams that always play on the European stage, and places like Liverpool with a high profile footie team plus their musical heritage and a fantastic waterfront to boot are far bigger draws on inbound tourism, but again thanks to their own efforts rather than "Visit England" or whatever the quango is called this week. (Non) events like the Commonwealth Games have really done little to raise the city's profile across Europe. It always staggered me when I worked a lot in Germany that my colleagues would often express their desire to visit England, but then immediately said "London" as though anywhere North or indeed west didn't exist, or at least had little to attract them to visit. When they did venture north to the East Midlands they were amazed by what we had to offer in the "frozen north"!
There's a job to be done in raising Birmingham and environs as a leisure destination which is going to be important as business travel declines and inbound tourism will be required if the airport is to retain the number of non bucket-and-spade destinations that it enjoys currently, let alone build additional ones.