Greater Manchester has launched a new
visitor economy strategy, outlining plans for sustainable growth over the next
five years.
The
city-region's visitor economy is on a projected rapid growth trajectory over the next half-decade. To support and
direct the sector through this next phase, a new strategic framework – the Greater
Manchester Strategy for the Visitor Economy 2025-2030 – has been launched at an event held 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.
At the core of
the strategy is an ambition to encourage growth in a sustainable and inclusive
way, and for the visitor economy to be recognised for its rich contribution to
social and cultural life across Greater Manchester and its positive impact on
the city-region’s diverse communities.
Commenting
on the strategy, 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.”
The strategy
is supported by Cllr Bev Craig, who added: “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 at tourism.marketingmanchester.com.
It will be regularly updated to track against delivery plans, provide updated
insights and research, and to adapt to broader changes that might impact the
visitor economy on the road to 2030.
