New tourism minister visits Manchester

21st July 2010

The new minister for tourism and heritage, John Penrose MP, made a flying visit to the new Manchester Visitor Information Centre (MVIC) yesterday as part of a tour of the North West.

The MVIC, which has been hailed the national benchmark, opened last month following an investment of over £800,000 by Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

He met with Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, and Nick Brook-Sykes, director of tourism at the NWDA, to see first hand the workings of the city-region’s £5.5 billion tourism industry.

Andrew Stokes said: “The visit gave us an opportunity to show the minister the new technology that we have incorporated into the centre to make the provision of visitor information more relevant to the modern-day visitor.

“Demand for face to face advice is as popular as it always has been, but there is a new generation of visitors that like to source information and recommendations online, through the use of interactive technology and by monitoring social media channels like Twitter.

“The new MVIC has embraced this change and will adapt along with our visitors to maintain our industry leading position.”

Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism at the NWDA, said: “I am confident that the minister is the first of many who will be impressed by their trip to the visitor centre which boasts some of the most up to date technology in Europe. It gives an excellent first impression and points people in the right direction of the best experiences that Manchester and the wider region have to offer in an innovative and exciting way."

Mr Penrose also met with representatives of the city’s business tourism community to hear about the value that conferences and events bring to the city.

ENDS