Visit Manchester shortlisted for national tourism award
Visit Manchester is celebrating along with three other Greater Manchester tourism organisations after being nominated for a VisitEngland Award for Excellence.
Manchester's Visitor Information Centre (MVIC) - managed by Visit Manchester and the first point of call for hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city - has received a nomination in the category for 'Visitor Information Provider of the Year'.
The other Greater Manchester tourism organisations nominated for awards are: Meadowcroft Barn B&B in Bolton for 'Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year'; The Lowry Hotel in Manchester for 'Business Tourism Award'; and Opus One Restaurant & Bar in Manchester for 'Taste of England Award'.
The nomination for 'Visitor Information Provider of the Year' recognises MVIC's extensive £800,000 renovation undertaken in summer 2010 using funding by Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
This investment saw MVIC become the first Visitor Information Centre in Europe to use Microsoft Surface tables - an innovative computing platform that responds to touch, natural hand gestures and real-world objects placed on a display.
Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester said: "We are thrilled with this nomination for our excellent MVIC. A VisitEngland Awards for Excellence is one of the industries highest accolades and simply a nomination can have a hugely positive impact on tourism and provide a benchmark for all local tourism businesses to aspire to.
"Of course, the success of Manchester's tourism sector is a huge team effort - at Visit Manchester we take a strong partnership approach, working closely with the airport, airlines, hotels and visitor attractions to ensure the city-region delivers a fantastic visitor experience. Therefore the whole Greater Manchester tourism community can be proud for the part they have played in helping us to be nominated.
"We'd also like to congratulate the other three Greater Manchester tourism organisations for their own fantastic nominations".
Commenting on the finalists James Berresford, VisitEngland's Chief Executive said "I would like to congratulate all those nominated as VisitEngland Awards for Excellence finalists this year. This is no small achievement in a year when we have received a record number of submissions. The quality of submissions this year has been outstanding and Visit Manchester can justifiably take credit and pride in earning a place at the top of their category in England. I wish everyone all the best for the final in May".
The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence have now been running for 22 years and will be held on 22 May 2012 at Athena, Leicester.
Greater Manchester's tourism industry generates £5.8bn for the local economy and supports 77,000 jobs.
Visit Manchester is a division of Marketing Manchester, the agency charged with promoting the city on a national and international stage. For more information: www.marketingmanchester.com
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