Birmingham's destination marketing agency has unveiled its national Christmas campaign in partnership with train operator Virgin Trains to raise the profile of the city during the busy festive season.

"Birmingham - Sparkling at Christmas" celebrates the Christmas period in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country with an integrated marketing campaign, which includes national and regional advertising, online activity and a targeted PR and media plan.

Marketing Birmingham has also launched a dedicated website, www.christmasinbirmingham.com, which has all of the information visitors need to ensure that their trip to Birmingham is a Christmas cracker, including offers, competitions, videos, event information and an interactive advent calendar.

Emma Gray, Director of Marketing Services at Marketing Birmingham, which manages the Visit Birmingham campaign, believes that the campaign will help to bring visitors into the city and drive the local economy during the lucrative Christmas period.

"The city's visitor economy is worth £4.4bn annually, with an estimated 3 million coming to Birmingham for the Christmas market alone. Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull each boast a unique Christmas offering, with first-rate retail outfits, Michelin-starred restaurants, great visitor attractions and affordable hotels, making the region a great destination for anyone looking for a festive break with friends and family."

The collaboration between Virgin Trains and Marketing Birmingham furthers the partnership between the two parties. The Christmas campaign is also supported by a number of key partners, included Retail Birmingham, Southside, Birmingham City Council, Brindley Place, Colmore BID, National Sealife Centre and Cadbury World.

Gray continued: "This campaign is another example of how working closely with partners can benefit Birmingham and the wider region as we aim to showcase our strengths as a destination. All of our partners have bought fully into the campaign, which we hope will underline that Birmingham, Solihull and the Black County have a lot to offer during the boom Christmas period and beyond."

The campaign will target passengers along key Virgin Trains routes, including London, Milton Keynes, Coventry and Crewe. Virgin Trains is the fastest way to get to Birmingham New Street from London Euston, with the journey taking just one hour and 22 minutes. All routes are operated by Virgin's luxury 125mph tilting Pendolino and Voyager trains, each with its own onboard Shop, powerpoints for keeping laptops and mobiles charged and Wi-Fi.

Steven Seddon, Marketing Manager at Virgin Trains, added: "We are delighted to be joining forces with Marketing Birmingham and look forward to carrying many visitors to all the attractions the city has to offer. Although we run the most frequent and fastest services between London and Birmingham visitors can also use our direct and regular trains from Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Rugby, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Crewe."