Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2023 To Question 124155 on Tourism: India, whether her Department has a strategy to promote Greater Manchester as a destination to Indian tourists.

The government promotes Britain as a holiday destination to tourists from India through VisitBritain, the national tourist board. India is one of VisitBritain's core markets and has staff based in Mumbai and New Delhi.

VisitBritain (India) works closely with UK inbound tourism businesses, with a particular focus on the North of England, including Greater Manchester, to inform them of the potential of the Indian market. This is done by encouraging UK inbound tourism businesses to tailor their offers and products to the Indian market, as well as educating them on the nuances of working with the local industry and how to provide a quality service to Indian visitors.

In January, VisitBritain hosted the ‘Showcase Britain’ event where they welcomed more than 120 international travel trade buyers for a series of educational visits across Britain including Greater Manchester.

As part of the wider Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), VisitBritain (India) has been utilising Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to encourage longer stays across the UK.

VisitBritain has been building on the work delivered in 2019 during the Cricket World Cup to promote the north of England, positioning Manchester as the Gateway of the North. The exciting events of 2023 such as the King’s Coronation and Eurovision in Liverpool will further help to attract international visitors, including to Manchester as the UK’s third most visited city.