Lowry tops the league of Greater Manchester visitor attractions

The Lowry has maintained its position as the most popular attraction in Greater Manchester – with over 870,000 visitors a year.

The arts and entertainment centre leads the visitor 'top ten', which also includes its neighbour, the Imperial War Museum North, along with MOSI (the Museum of Science & Industry) and Manchester Airport's Runway Visitor Park.

The Whitworth Art Gallery has also entered the 'top ten', for the first time, with over 172,000 visitors.

The top ten visitor attractions in Greater Manchester are as follows:

1

The Lowry

872,641

2

MOSI

601,106

3

Chill Factore

450,000

4

Manchester Art Gallery

378,650

5

Manchester Museum

346,148

6

Bolton Museum, Aquarium & Archive

321,569

7

Manchester United FC Museum

315,713

8

Runway Visitor Park

300,000

9

Imperial War Museum North

245,726

10

Whitworth Art Gallery

172,442

Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester, said: "The visitor figures show the huge demand there is for places to go and things to see in the city. The Lowry has long-been a flagship venue for The Quays - and with the MediaCityUK development very much up and running, I expect the visitor figures of all the attractions at The Quays will rise all the more. It's also great that we have popular attractions right across the city-region - from the Chill Factore in Trafford to the Museum, Aquarium & Archive in Bolton."

The National Football Museum looks set to make its mark in 2012, when the collection re-opens in the city's Urbis building following its move from Preston. The museum is expected to attract around 350,000 visitors a year.   

Tourism generates £5.4bn a year for the Greater Manchester economy and supports 75,000 full time eqivalent jobs. Visit Manchester is the tourist board for Greater Manchester and is a division of Marketing Manchester - the agency charged with promoting the city on a national and international stage.

ENDS

 
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