Birmingham welcomed a record number of visitors last year - up 740,000 to 33.5 million - as the city's tourism economy continues to grow, according to newly-released figures.

Global Tourism Solutions' STEAM Report also highlighted a 2 per cent increase in visitor expenditure to £4.9bn compared with 2010, which helped create more than 2,000 new jobs.

The figures mean that visitor numbers to Birmingham and the surrounding areas have risen 10 per cent over the last six years, while the tourism economy has seen similar growth.

Marketing Birmingham chief executive Neil Rami said: "With the afterglow of London 2012 and the government's launch of a new campaign to create a lasting tourism legacy from the Games, we are looking forward to a further boost."

• Yesterday (14 August), culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said the successful hosting of the Olympic Games would 'turbo charge' the UK tourism industry and pledged additional funding to overseas marketing efforts.

Click here for more information about Birmingham's tourism growth.