Tourism businesses to be helped through training programme ahead of Commonwealth Games

Around 2.5 million people are expected to visit a six-month cultural festival in Birmingham in the months around the games, which are 1.2 million people are due to attend.

Tourism chiefs in the region have now drawn up the "Getting Games Ready" training programme to help businesses cope with the influx of visitors.

It will use the foundations of the globally-recognised WorldHost customer service programme, used to train hundreds of thousands for events including the London 2012 Olympics, Rugby World Cup 2015 and The Golf Open 2019.

The scheme will help highlight the very best of what West Midlands destinations have to offer; provide a warm, knowledgeable and inclusive welcome; share tips about the Games and the six-month festival; provide up-to-date, accurate and accessible information to visitors, and promote the region as a place to visit, stay and invest.

Andrew Lovett OBE, chairman of the West Midlands Regional Board for Tourism, said: "The Getting Games Ready programme is an important – and free – tool for local businesses to access ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, allowing visitor-facing staff to enhance customer service skills and local knowledge of the West Midlands. This training will ensure that the experiences of visitors to Birmingham and the West Midlands are positive and memorable, encouraging people to return and enjoy our region’s great visitor attractions and world-class hospitality time and again.”

The project is being delivered as part of the Business and Tourism Programme, a three-year initiative which aims to leverage the profile of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to, among other objectives, attract more international and domestic tourists and additional major events to the West Midlands and wider UK.

Becky Frall, head of visitor attraction at the West Midlands Growth Company, added: "The Getting Games Ready training programme will be interactive and easily accessible, providing a critical upskilling opportunity as the West Midlands prepares to welcome an influx of domestic and international visitors throughout 2022.

“Delivered through our Business and Tourism Programme, the training offers support for visitor economy businesses recovering from Covid, with benefits that our destinations will reap into the future, as visitors recommend their fantastic experiences to friends and family.”

Sports and Tourism Minister, Nigel Huddleston added: “Birmingham 2022 is an incredible chance to promote the West Midlands as a premier tourism destination. This programme will help local businesses provide a first-class service to visitors this summer so the industry can capitalise on this once-in-a-generation opportunity."

To demonstrate a commitment to customer service excellence, businesses that train more than 80 per cent of front-line staff using the programme will also be eligible to apply for ‘Getting Games Ready’ Business Recognition.

Available now, tourism businesses can secure free places for their employees by visiting welcomewm.com.