England 12/08/2013 – Manchester is a diverse city, which is attracting more and more tourists each year, with visitor numbers set to break through the one million mark.
Visit Britain revealed that over 900,000 foreign visitors stayed in Manchester for at least one night last year. These figures make Manchester the third most visited city in the UK, behind Edinburgh and London, who have 13 and 26 million visitors each year. Many hotels in Manchester are fully booked practically every night of the year and new beds are being added to meet the increasing demand.
Without a doubt, the city’s sporting pedigree has been one of the biggest drivers behind its visitor numbers. Millions across the globe support Manchester United, and many visitors are in the city primarily to visit the hallowed ground of Old Trafford. Thousands also visit the home of their rivals Manchester City, Eastlands.
Whilst in Manchester international visitors are visiting many of the city’s traditional cultural venues such as the Cornerhouse, The Whitworth Art Gallery, The Manchester Museum of Transport and of course The People’s History Museum. They are also stopping by iconic buildings like Beetham Towers and Manchester Piccadilly Station.
However, these days most international visitors are more interested in modern culture and recent history. They are increasingly taking music tours to take in the Madchester venues and see where their musical heroes like ‘The Smiths’ and Jamiroquai used to play. Many visitors are including a concert at the Manchester Arena, or the smaller, but very famous Band on the Wall or the Ruby Lounge, as part of their holiday itenary.
Manchester offers something different
The way in which Manchester is being marketed to international visitors has changed drastically. The Visit Manchester site no longer features art galleries and museums on its home page. Instead, visitors are told about the chance to enjoy Viking Sunday at Tatton Park, local food festivals and events like the International Festival and the annual Jazz Festival. The city of Manchester is responding to the fact that international visitors want to see modern Manchester and have fun rather than just wander around old buildings. This approach is definitely working with hotels like the Crowne Plaza Manchester City Centre seeing increasing numbers of international visitors, many of whom are enquiring at reception about local events, rather than just asking for directions to a museum.
Contact:
Crowne Plaza Manchester City Centre
70 Shudehill, Manchester UK
Zip: M4 4AF
Tel: 0161 828 8600
Email: enquiries@cpmanchester.com
Web: http://www.cpmanchester.com/