Trip Advisor: Tamworth more popular than ever before

It’s official - Tamworth is one of the UK’s fastest growing tourist destinations in Europe, according to new figures released by international travel website, Trip Advisor.

Trip Advisor has revealed new figures which show that Tamworth is the fourth fastest growing European destination in 2011, which is helping to make the borough council’s new vision ‘One Tamworth, Perfectly Placed’ a reality.

As well as this being fantastic news for Tamworth as a tourism destination, it will also provide a boost for Tamworth’s economy, which is vitally important to the borough.

The huge rise in searches and comments about Tamworth has been attributed to the Staffordshire Hoard exhibition along with events such as the Ultrasound Music Festival, the Saxon Festival and outdoor events such as St George’s Day.

With the Olympic Torch visiting Tamworth in the run up to London 2012, Tamworth’s popularity should continue to soar.

Another reason for the surge could be Tamworth’s excellent hotels and links to other areas.

The borough council has put a lot of emphasis on Tamworth ‘the place’. It is currently undertaking a wide range of work to boost the number of people visiting the area, in a bid to ensure visitors enjoy everything it has to offer - from shopping, attractions and with its rich history and heritage.

Ilford in east London topped the poll due to its proximity to the main Olympic site, closely followed by Valras-Plage in France. Trafford in Greater Manchester was third, with Tamworth hot on its heels in fourth place.

Trip Advisor is a travel website which helps people to gather information about travel. The site also features reviews from the public about places they have visited and has an interactive forum.

Europe's top 10 fasting-growing destinations for 2011, based on year-on-year increases in searches on TripAdvisor sites, were:

1. Ilford, east London

2. Valras-Plage, France

3. Trafford, Greater Manchester

4. Tamworth, Staffordshire

5. Brandon, Suffolk

6. Yalta, Ukraine

7. Salford, Greater Manchester

8. Warrington, Cheshire

9. Warminster, Wiltshire

10.Hounslow, west London