Greater Manchester is aiming to become a £15bn visitor hotspot, surpassing Edinburgh as the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's most visited location outside of London.
Key figures from Manchester City, Manchester Airport, and the mastermind behind the colossal Trafford City development joined tourism minister Sir Chris Bryant at the Midland Hotel this week to unveil the city's fresh tourism strategy. Currently, Greater Manchester ranks third in the list of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's most visited destinations, behind London and Edinburgh.
In 2023, the region welcomed 1.7 million international visitors. By 2019, the visitor economy was estimated to contribute £9.5bn to Greater Manchester.
This figure is projected to reach around £10bn by the end of the year. A new blueprint – the Greater Manchester Strategy for the Visitor Economy 2025-2030 – stipulates that the sector needs to expand by 50 per cent by 2030 to achieve its ambitious goals.
Among the speakers at an event was Danny Wilson, managing director of Manchester City Operations, who discussed the ongoing revamp of the area surrounding the Etihad Stadium. With Co-Op Live having opened last year and work on the North Stand extension in progress, future plans include a hotel, a museum, and additional space for events and concerts.
These developments are set to transform the vicinity of the stadium and Co-Op Live into a year-round destination, not just for major events.
Showing the audience an image of Noel Gallagher and Pep Guardiola, he said: "In reality it's about fusing together music and football."
Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig announced a 'summer of music and culture' for the area, aiming to leverage the significant global attention from this year's mammoth Oasis reunion concerts. And she said the tourism strategy would be about 'so much more than just the city centre'.
Cllr Craig, who also oversees economy, business, and inclusive growth for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, said Manchester was not far from outpacing Edinburgh in terms of growth. James Whittaker from the Peel Group gave a video presentation detailing the expansive developments envisaged for Trafford City, which include thousands of new homes and an £250 million wellness resort.
The plan has five key targets:
- Greater Manchester will be the most visited city-region outside of London and a top 20 European destination.
- 30% of all passengers using Manchester Airport will be of international origin.
- The economic impact of the visitor economy across Greater Manchester will increase to £15bn.
- All employees in the visitor economy will be earning a minimum of the Real Living Wage.
- Manchester will be ranked as the most sustainable English city in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and in the top 50 in the world on the Global Destination Sustainability Index.
Marketing Manchester has outlined a strategy to boost the city's appeal, which includes: 'Creating a sense of place' by highlighting Manchester's unique character and tourism offerings; attracting major events to the region; 'Enhancing the visitor offer' by motivating attractions and venues to innovate and attract more visitors; and 'Providing greater connectivity' by enhancing transport links within Greater Manchester and beyond.
Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant, speaking at the launch, said he wanted international tourists in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ to explore beyond London, reports .
He said more than half of visitors to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ only think of London and that cities like Manchester needed to help 'turn that on its head'. And he said Manchester 'has a key part to play in helping us achieve our goal of welcoming 50 million international visitors a year to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ by 2030'.
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