Birmingham Airport could soon be known as 'Shakespeare 's Airport ' in the U.S. in order to attract more visitors , tourism chiefs have announced . The concept was put forward after proving a success in attracting more people from China , but there are concerns that not enough Americans will know of the famous playwright . The airport could also be called 'Birmingham London ' as the HS2 rail link will make the hub just 38 minutes from the centre of the capital - only ten minutes further away than Terminal 5 at Heathrow . Birmingham Airport could be rebranded 'Shakespeare 's Airport ' in the U.S. to attract more tourists , but there are concerns that not enough Americans will know who the playwright is . Chief executive Paul Kehoe said : 'The reason we used Shakespeare for the Chinese is there is a lot of interest there . 'When the Chinese Premier came here , he wanted to see the RSC and he said to us through an interpreter that Shakespeare was very big in China and we should make the most of it . 'We are still debating it . Personally , I think Shakespeare is still right for America . 'The average person in Chattanooga may not enjoy much Shakespeare but the sophisticates on the east and west coast do . ' A similar rebranding in China has attracted thousands of tourists to Birmingham by advertising its proximity to Shakespeare 's place of birth . Birmingham Airport announced in March it would be re-branding in China as it revealed a run of flights to Beijing . Hainan Airlines is to operate two flights a week between July 3 and August 28 , expected to pave the way for a regular service . The flights are set to carry almost 4,000 Chinese tourists to the UK and follow a trial last year saw three flights between the cities . Mr Kehoe said there was competition in the Far East for the flights and was hopeful it could lead to scheduled operations directly from the city to China . Meanwhile , he said hopes of using Shakespeare to promote the region in the US were long-held . He adde : 'People tell me nobody has heard of Shakespeare in America but I do n't believe that . 'When I started in 2008 , I said `` How do we get to the chocolate-eating , 4x4 driving Shakespeare-loving people of Idaho ? '' 'We have Cadbury , Shakespeare and Land Rover here , so there is no shortage of options . ' Meanwhile , Mr Kehoe said the HS2 station near the airport would be so convenient for the capital it would rival the likes of Heathrow , Gatwick and Stansted . He said this could raise questions over whether 'London ' should be added to the airport 's name . Mr Kehoe accepted the capital was always going to be a major draw for tourists but added : 'The day HS2 opens , this airport effectively moves 70 miles closer to London . 'My successor will have to ask themselves : `` What do we call this airport now ? '' We will only be 10 minutes further than terminal five . Does that make it a London airport ? '
Airport bosses say re-branding in London has already brought more tourists . If HS2 is built the hub could also be renamed 'Birmingham China Airport ' China would be 38 minutes away , ten minutes further than Heathrow .