The world loves Manchester!
JOURNALISTS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE GIVE THEIR VIEWS OF OUR CITY
WE all know Manchester is an incredible city - that goes without saying.
But sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see ‘home’ in a whole new light. And as Manchester enjoys a tourism boom - visitors from overseas brought £670m to the economy last year - the city is getting lots of attention from travel reviewers around the world.
Many of these journalists come to Manchester after an invite from Marketing Manchester, whose job it is to sell the city around the globe. Last year, they welcomed around 300 journalists to the region - more than ever before.
Giving a fresh perspective on the city we know so well, many of the reviews highlight the Manchester quirks and strengths we may have forgotten about - or never thought of in the first place.
Here’s a round-up of some of the reviews and their publications we’ve seen that sell Manchester to the world.
‘VEGETARIAN MECCA’ - THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
It can be easy to forget that Manchester is the birthplace of vegetarianism - but this writer brings it home throughout her glowing review of the city.
Vijaya Pratap praises Manchester as ‘vibrant, dynamic, and cosmopolitan, a city rich in art and heritage with enviable football teams, impressive music and theatre scenes, food and fashion”
She also focuses on the food - and in particular fare for vegetarians. Vijaya, who stayed at The Principal Manchester hotel during her visit, writes: “In the late 1700s/early 1800s a man called Rev William Cowherd openly encouraged people to abstain from meat, and a Vegetarian Society was formed in 1847.
“Now, with more people going a step further to convert to veganism, many restaurants offer clever vegan tasting menus.”
Manchester’s former ‘meat packing district’ is also a hit. Writes Vijaya: “My initial shudder turned into a smile as I entered The Mackie Mayor - it is now a vibrant, bustling eatery with an unmatched charm.
“I found it unbelievably pretty! Sipping an inventive melon-lemon drink, soaking in its warmth and vitality, I ate a delicious vegan pizza sitting in a former meat market building.” Vijaya also paints our canals in a glowing light. She writes: “We had a delightful walk with our guide Sue McCarthy along the canals, watching ducks that were waddling in peaceful waters.”
‘TRAMS AND BUSES ARE MODERN AND EFFICIENT’ - BOSTON GLOBE
Our public transport - and particularly the Metrolink - can get some serious stick at times for delays and points failures. But Boston’s Christopher Muther seemed very impressed during his visit in June last year.
After praising the city more generally - “The bee, which is the symbol of Manchester, represents the city’s hardworking past and its reputation as a hive of ingenuity during the Industrial Revolution. Now it’s come to symbolize the fortitude of its residents,” he delves deeper. And on getting around the city, he adds: “Public transport in Manchester is modern and efficient. You can get around most of the downtown area for free.”
ARNDALE HAS BETTER SHOPPING THAN ITALY - ITALIAN BLOG
On blog Travelling Dany, Manchester Arndale gets a great review as ‘Europe’s biggest shopping centre’.
The writer adds: “Today it’s Europe’s third largest city centre shopping mall, and it’s also pretty close to Selfridges and Marks and Spencer. The three are connected by a few bridges. It’s also one of the largest shopping centres in the UK. We like to unwind by strolling into a large shopping centre, especially because in Italy we only have the very big ones (and not as big as Manchester Arndale) in Milan.
“Note it down as a place where you can have lunch or hang out in the evening, as it’s pretty close to a few of Manchester highlights!”
‘OBSESSED WITH GIN’ - SINA WEIBO (CHINA)
In this April article, Manchester is described as a “city with distinct personality. When I came to Manchester, I discovered that under the outer shell of an industrial city, the softness of history and culture was hidden.” Later, the
article delves into our ‘gin history’, and says Manchester is keeping the tradition alive with its ‘mellow’ flavoured gin - and this reviewer is a big fan, saying.
He adds: “I used a whole afternoon to understand, in addition to its origin, more of the Manchester city people’s obsession.”
BIRTHPLACE OF ROLLS ROYCE AND GOOD STATUES - GULF NEWS
In a review this month, Sanjib Kumar Das writes beautifully of Manchester’s industrial past melding with its modernist present.
He also waxes lyrical on the Midland Hotel - as the birthplace of Rolls Royce. Writing of ‘the monolithic presence of a popular Victorian edifice’, he adds: “The fascinating detail of this hotel being the venue where one Mr Charles Rolls and Mr Henry Royce had their first meeting in 1904. A meeting that would eventually result in the birth of an iconic dream machine — the first Rolls-Royce car.”
There is a reminder we have some great statues. Take Friedrich Engels - “It was England, and specifically Manchester, that served up the ‘home truths’ that made philosophers such as Marx and Engels realise the need to stoke the flames of a working-class turnaround.
“Given such a background, it is no wonder that a commercial centre called Home on Manchester’s First Street has a larger-than-life statue of Engels on its courtyard. It’s fascinating — a towering presence of a socialist visionary.”
Also: “Walk a few hundred metres down the road, take a quick turn on to Brasenose Street, and you will soon find yourself standing right in front of a lifesize statue of former United States president Abraham Lincoln.”
He sums up: “From its pubs to the churches, from its streets to the quay, from its mills to the milling crowds, from Friedrich Engels to feminism, Manchester rises above the familiar din of a developed world to share its tale of a sombre passing by of time and memories that whet your appetite for wanderlust. Soak it up.”
WE GET A LOT OF RAIN BUT ‘WE’RE GOOD AT IT’ - ESCAPE (AUSTRALIA)
Blogger Richard Green leads and ends his review with a bit of a Manchester stereotype - the weather. But he does paint it in a good light.
He writes: “It’s raining as I arrive in Manchester — sheeting it down from a pewter-grey sky and soaking me as I bundle into the taxi. I comment on the deluge, and like everyone else I was to meet in the city, the driver had a good line in cheery weather-related banter. “Yes, it rains here, but not as much as some other places,” he said with a smile.
“I’ve checked, you know! And we get a few Arab tourists who come here to cool off and see rain — they love our changeable weather.”
A DRAW FOR POTTER FANS - GLOBAL BLOG
Passion Passport, an online travel blog, isn’t the only site to remark on John Rylands Library’s similarity to Hogwarts.
Reviewer Britton Perelman remarks: “Right in the heart of the city you’ll find the John Rylands Library, a must for any bibliophile or ‘Harry Potter’ enthusiast. The late-Victorian Neo-Gothic library is stunning, an architectural wonder that evokes a similar atmosphere to the Hogwarts Library.”
INTERESTING ROMAN ROOTS - US BLOG
On US blog Man About World, Ed Salvato writes of the Manchester’s industrial past - but this review goes back much further, to the Romans.
He writes: “Most histories will give the quick version of Manchester’s rise; that it was born out of the Industrial Revolution. Not true; the city traces its lineage back to the Romans, circa 79 AD, when it was ‘Mancunium’, a name that lives on in ‘Mancunian’, what people from Manchester call themselves.”
GOOD SPOT FOR CREAM TEA - NEW YORK TIMES
Susanne Fowler writes reminds readers to ask for the ‘bill not the check’ - before recommending the best spots for some English tea.
She writes: “You can go from classy to kitschy for this time-honored afternoon tradition. On the classy but still casual end of the spectrum, sit under the Gothic arches of the Sculpture Hall Café in the Town Hall with a pot of Earl Grey and an assortment of savoury finger sandwiches.
“For a twist on the Alice in Wonderland experience, take your tea party for a slice of decadently decorated layer cake within the pastel walls and faux-frosted counter tops of the Richmond Tea Rooms in the area known as the Gay Village.”