Greater Manchester has launched a new visitor economy strategy, outlining plans for sustainable growth over the next five years.
The city-region has experienced significant growth in its visitor economy over the past two decades, reflected in the expansion of accommodation, cultural venues, and leisure facilities. Greater Manchester now has thousands of additional hotel rooms, new cultural and entertainment spaces of international significance, an extensive events and conference calendar, and a growing food, drink, and nightlife sector.
To support and direct the sector through this next phase, a new strategic framework – the Greater Manchester Strategy for the Visitor Economy 2025-2030 – was launched on 29 January at The Midland Hotel, Manchester.
Stakeholders and visitor economy partners from across the city-region were joined at the event by business leaders and senior politicians, including Tourism Minister Sir Chris Bryant and Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council and Economy, Business, and Inclusive Growth Lead at Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Sir Chris Bryant said, “Greater Manchester has so much to offer visitors from the UK and abroad. Whether you’re a gig-goer, food lover or sports fan, there is something for everyone. The region’s huge potential to attract tourists means it has a key part to play in helping us achieve our goal of welcoming 50 million international visitors a year to the UK by 2030.
“That is why it is so great to see the launch of Greater Manchester’s new visitor economy strategy, which will drive growth, support good jobs, and spread opportunity throughout the region while delivering a first-class visitor experience.”
Cllr Bev Craig said, “It feels like here in Greater Manchester we are facing a very special moment. We have been celebrated across the world for all the fantastic things that our city-region is doing, and I want to stress the importance of the role that the visitor economy plays in helping to build and maintain Greater Manchester’s reputation as a world-class destination.
“Our visitor economy is not just something that makes us immensely proud and that brings people together; it also contributes significantly to our economy, generating almost £9 billion of additional value and keeping over 100,000 people in work, but it can, and will, do more.”
The strategy has been developed by Marketing Manchester – the city region’s official VisitEngland Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) – following a detailed consultation with stakeholders and business leaders across Greater Manchester.
Victoria Braddock, Managing Director at Marketing Manchester said, “This new strategy for the visitor economy is a great example of how to bring a sector together to create a detailed plan, with clear objectives for the next five years. It will guide how we collectively grow the visitor economy in a way that is sustainable and responsible, but that is also ambitious.
“With a lot of hard work and investment, over the last decade especially, we’ve got fantastic foundations to build on within the visitor economy. Now, with a new strategy in place, as the region’s LVEP, it is Marketing Manchester’s job to encourage anyone working within the sector to get behind it, create initiatives and campaigns that support its delivery, and ultimately keep the sector on track, informed, and accountable.”
The strategy is digital-first and is now live. It will be regularly updated to track against delivery plans, provide updated insights and research, and adapt to broader changes that might impact the visitor economy on the road to 2030.
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