Debut in one of the UK's largest cities

HOTEL Indigo Manchester – Victoria Station has opened its doors to guests, marking the brand’s debut in one of the UK’s largest cities.

Famous for its cotton mills and its role in the industrial revolution, #Manchester is a vibrant city that is rapidly expanding and regenerating, complementing its historical setting.

The boutique hotel is located at the gateway to the Northern Quarter, Manchester’s creative heart, and is adjacent to Exchange Square, the city’s shopping district.

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Experience England

THE UK’s three largest cities, London, Manchester and Birmingham have formed an alliance to jointly promote the best of English tourism in three of the world’s fastest growing markets: China, India and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. 

The partnership, which will see the three English cities collaborate on tourism for the first time, will focus on increasing the number of visitors arriving in one city and then travelling across the different regions.

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Manchester to New York

STAY at the W Hotel New York this June for 3 nights, from just £545 per person. 

Standing tall in the heart of New York City, this inviting hotel is nestled amidst some of the New York City’s best dining, shopping and entertainment. 

Based on two adults on a room-only basis with direct Thomas Cook with a 15th June 2017 departure, flying from Manchester. 

Offer must be booked by 26th March 2017 

www.myamericaholiday.co.uk

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Virgin Trains launches celebratory 20th Birthday Seat Sale

VIRGIN Trains is launching a record six-day online 20th Birthday Seat Sale, to thank customers for twenty years of travelling with Virgin Trains on the West Coast. 

From its birthday on Thursday 9 March to Tuesday 14 March, prices will be slashed on Standard and First Class fares on the Virgin Trains West Coast route.

Customers booking in advance to travel on Virgin Trains to West Coast destinations including Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow can save up to 55 per cent for travel between Saturday 25 March – Thursday 24 August 2017.

Discounted tickets will be available to book at www.virgintrains.co.uk from 00:01 on Thursday 9 March.

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BA launches seven new routes from Manchester this Summer

BRITISH Airways is to launch seven new routes from Manchester Airport this summer and three new destinations from Manchester’s sister airport Stansted. 

From May the airline will begin summer-only direct flights from Manchester to the popular Spanish sunspots of Alicante, Malaga, Ibiza and Palma, the Greek island of Mykonos, Nice in the South of France and a weekly service to London City Airport. 

In addition new flights from Stansted, part of the Manchester Airport Group, will launch to Florence, Geneva and Nice. 

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Manchester for Virtual Reality

IMAX announced an agreement with leading European exhibitor, ODEON & UCI Cinemas Group, to install the first pilot IMAX VR™ centre in Europe at its Printworks multiplex location in Manchester, England. The centre, which the parties are planning to open by the end of 2016, will deliver guests immersive, multi-dimensional VR experiences, including entertainment content and games.

“We’re always looking for new ways to give our guests an even more immersive experience, so are very excited to be hosting Europe’s first IMAX VR centre at ODEON Printworks” said Paul Donovan, CEO of ODEON & UCI Cinemas Group. “We have a longstanding close relationship with IMAX which creates unforgettable experiences in many of our cinemas across Europe, so we are delighted to be alongside them again, at the cutting edge of innovation, to introduce and pilot awesome new technology which will delight our guests.”

IMAX is in the process of launching its first showroom and pilot IMAX VR centre in Los Angeles and is targeting to open additional test facilities in China, Japan, the U.S., the Middle East and Western Europe in the coming months.

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A day out with Manchester FC

MANCHESTER CITY Football Club and the National Football Museum have launched what they call the ‘Ultimate Football Day Out’ … a tour that gives sports fans the opportunity to experience both Manchester City’s iconic home ground and the museum. 

The experience, for both locals and visitors, includes a 90-minute, behind-the-scenes, guided tour of the Etihad Stadium and a visit to the National Football Museum, where guests get a £5 package to experience the Football Plus+ Penalty Shootout and trophy photos.

Commenting on the new tour package, Danny Wilson, operations director, at #ManchesterCityFC said:

‘The Manchester City Stadium and Club Tour is a behind-the-scenes look at what happens on a matchday at the Etihad Stadium. We continuously look for ways to enhance the tour so there is always something new. We have renovated our exhibition space to provide supporters with a more in-depth look at the club’s past, present and future, and teaming up with the National Football Museum, which has a large collection of football artefacts, is the perfect opportunity to provide visitors with an even greater insight into the history of football in Manchester and beyond.’

Special tours for groups of 15 or more can also be booked by contacting the club via www.mancity.com.

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Picture Credit:26614375@N00/3728668669">Welcome to Manchester Tevez</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com

Up in the air . . .

SINGAPORE AIRLINES is to begin a non-stop service between Singapore and Manchester, England, in October. The flights will run five times weekly and will continue on to Houston, Texas, which is currently served via Moscow. 

The airline’s services to Christchurch, New Zealand will increase to 10 times weekly between November and February 2017, while flights to Adelaide, Australia, will also increase to 10 times weekly from December 1 to January 31.

RYANAIR will change its Bristol to Venice Treviso to Venice Marco Polo Airport from September. Treviso is 19 miles from Venice, while Marco Polo is much closer at 4.6 miles.

MANCHESTER AIRPORT has opened an expanded Escape Lounge in Terminal Two. The airport has spent £1.9 million on the lounge which has increased in capacity by a third with room for up to 212 passengers.

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Must- see Manchester

Fall in love with art 
Transformed and extended thanks to a £15 million development project, the Whitworth Gallery re-opened on Valentine's Day in 2015. Its collection includes historic fine art by William Blake and Rossetti, contemporary art, sculpture, and an internationally-renowned textile collection of 20,000 pieces dating from the 3rd century AD.  

Style, art, craft & culture
For the city's best independent shopping, head to the Northern Quarter. This once rundown area of Manchester city centre is now known for its stores, cafés, bars, and creative spaces, offering a distinct alternative to the big brands found in the city's mammoth shopping malls. A not-for-profit social enterprise, #Manchester Craft & Design Centre, is home to more than 30 designer and makers who sell their handmade work direct from their studios.

Learn more about Manchester via its libraries
Manchester has several libraries worth visiting: to appreciate their impressive architecture as well as to peruse the books and historic collections. Re-opened since 2014 following a major renovation, Manchester Central Library is a grand-domed rotunda whose design is reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome. Part of the University of Manchester, the John Rylands Library is a red brick Victorian neo-Gothic landmark with a collection including medieval illuminated manuscripts and a Gutenberg Bible. Its Reading Room is a two-storey cathedral of literature.

Manchester's music
One of Manchester's long-established music venues, Band on the Wall, has witnessed all kinds of music genres, from jazz to punk. Famous local post-punk bands Buzzcocks, the Fall and Joy Division have played there. It's also known as a place to spot up-and-coming talent: Mick Hucknall performed here pre-Simply Red, while an unknown Björk sang backing vocals there in 1982. Now a not-for-profit venue run by registered charity Inner City Music, performances on the main stage help to support the charity's school and community education endeavours. 

Take a self-guided tour with a free app
Download the Official Manchester Walking Tours app. There's an Architectural Highlights tour and a Northern Quarter created by official city tour guides, plus a Cultural Tour voiced by DJ and music journalist Mary Anne Hobbs. Landmarks to look out for include Castlefield Basin, The Molly House in Manchester's famous gay village, the Museum of Science and Industry, and HOME, Manchester's new centre for contemporary art, theatre, and cinema. If you prefer human guidance, a group of official tour guides do a daily walking tour that commences at 11am outside the Central Library.

Greater Manchester
Thirty minutes west of the centre by bus or Metrolink tram is Salford Quays. This rejuvenated quayside quarter is home to cultural landmarks The Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry arts complex – admission to both is free. Also part of the re-development is MediaCityUK, home to major BBC and ITV television shows.

United!
Old Trafford is home to Manchester United Football Club. Fans can go behind the scenes on a stadium tour.

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Manchester-Beijing direct

THE first direct scheduled service from outside London to mainland #China has taken off from #Manchester Airport. The four-times-a-week Hainan Airlines service to Beijing has been hailed as a significant boost for the region and the government’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ ambitions. 

The flights will give the 100,000 passengers who travel each year between the two cities the convenience of direct scheduled services.

The Manchester-Beijing route is estimated to be worth at least £250 million in economic benefits to the UK over the next decade. Two-thirds of this is expected to directly benefit the northern economy in terms of increased jobs, economic activity, and tourism.

Sally Balcombe, VisitEngland/VisitBritain chief executive, said: ‘We want to deliver a world-class visitor experience for Chinese visitors and making it easier for them to get here is a crucial part of our competitive tourism offer. We want to double the spend from Chinese visitors to £1 billion by 2020 and Hainan’s new direct route to Manchester will not only make it easier for visitors to come and explore regional Britain but also help us to deliver our ambitious plans for growth for this rapidly expanding market.’

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport John Whittingdale added: ‘This new route is a major breakthrough that will help boost tourism in the north of England. China is a hugely important trading partner, and more Chinese visitors coming to the UK is great news for the tourism industry and the whole economy.’

The service departs on Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday, with return fares from £487.

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Manchester Airport rail links planned

DIRECT train services from Manchester Airport to Warrington, Bradford, and Halifax are promised as part of a £1.2 billion boost to rail connections across the Northern England and Scotland.

This came as the government awarded the northern rail franchise to Arriva Rail North and the TransPennine Express franchise to First Trans Pennine Express.

More than 500 new carriages, the removal of the outdated Pacer trains, room for 40,000 extra passengers at the busiest times, and more than 2,000 extra services a week will be delivered, according to the Department for Transport.

Arriva Rail North will run the northern franchise from April 2016 until March 2025. The operator will oversee the removal of unpopular Pacers trains by the end of 2019, and will spend £400 million in 281 new air-conditioned carriages, more than double the minimum required in the government's invitation to tender.

Other improvements on the Northern network include the new Manchester Airport links as more than 2,000 extra services a week are provided.

Additional services for Scotland are planned, including a direct Liverpool to Glasgow service from December 2018 with electric trains, and extended services beyond Newcastle to Edinburgh from December 2019. Additional services from Manchester to Glasgow and Edinburgh are planned from December 2017.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: ‘We promised passengers a world-class rail service that would make the Northern Powerhouse a reality, and I'm delighted that we have found two operators who will deliver exactly that.’

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Germany’s top attractions

WHEN thousands of international visitors from 40 countries have voted online to decide Germany's Top 100 attractions, South-West #Germany took the No l spot, and had a total of five in the top 11. 

Here are three of them:

Europa-Park – Germany’s largest theme park – in Baden-Württemberg was voted the best attraction. Visitors in December will see thousands of Christmas trees throughout its 13 European-themed areas. 

With eight Michelin stars, the Black Forest village of Baiersbronn claims to be Germany's culinary capital.

Baden-Württemberg has 60 palaces, castles, and monasteries, many of which are become backdrops for traditional Christmas markets, one of the best of which is at Schloss Bruchsal.

There are bonfires, plus guides who lead tours of the 18th century palace. 

There are daily flights to Stuttgart Airport from Birmingham, London Heathrow, and Gatwick, and frequent flights from Manchester and London Stansted. 

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Austrian Airlines launches Manchester-Vienna route

AUSTRIAN AIRLINES has launched its daily service between Manchester and #Vienna, becoming the first airline to do so.  

Welcoming the first passengers at Manchester Airport, Mr Christian Schindler, Lufthansa Group’s regional director for the UK, Ireland & Iceland said: ‘This service has been added to our schedule to meet the demand of our passengers. Over the last few years, Vienna became the number one onward connection destination for Lufthansa passengers departing from Manchester, so it was logical for us to offer direct flights.

‘This not only reduces the travelling time for the passengers but will also increase the number of seats available for other passengers wanting to access the Lufthansa network through or hubs at Frankfurt and Munich.’

Return fares, including taxes and charges, for the new service start at £160 (Light), £175 (Classic) and £215 (Flex), with return business fares from £550.

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Picture Credit: Wien Strassencafe by © Túrelio (via Wikimedia-Commons) /. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

Rugby World Cup worth almost £1 billion in tourist spending

TRAVEL search engine GoEuro.co.uk has calculated that the 2015 #RugbyWorldCup (September 18-October 31) will generate almost £1 billion for the transport and tourism industry. 

The UK will host 20 teams, more than 440,000 international visitors, and 2.2 million Brits in 11 cities. London will be the biggest winner, with 17 matches earning the city more than £197 million in transport, accommodation, merchandise, and food and drink spending.

The calculation excludes the cost of match tickets in the host cities, which are: London, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester, Gloucester, Exeter, Milton Keynes, and Brighton.

www.goeuro.co.uk

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End in sight for Coronation Street tours

CORONATION STREET tours at Quay Street, Manchester are to close on December 31 this year.

The tour opened last year for a six month period, but due to public demand it was given an extended run. Since opening, the attraction has had more than 500,000 visitors to the site where #CoronationStreet was filmed before its move to MediaCity.

Visitors can explore behind the scenes of the sound stage studio featuring the green room, dressing rooms, interior sets such as The Rovers Return, and the backlot set of Coronation Street's cobbles.

James Penfold, ITV’s controller of partnerships, said: ‘The tour at Quay Street was always for a limited time, and the demand has exceeded all our expectations. However, all good things have to come to an end.’

Tour tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/coronationstreet, and more information can be found at www.coronationstreettour.co.uk

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Manchester Airport sets 23 million passenger target

MANCHESTER AIRPORT aims to surpass 23 million annual passengers by the end of the year. The target was set as the airport broke its all-time passenger record in the last financial year, with 22.32 million people using the northern gateway in the last financial year.

Managing director, Ken O’Toole, said: 

‘This is a magnificent achievement, an historic milestone for Manchester Airport and UK aviation, as well as a huge boost for the economy and the north of England.

‘It’s great news that an increasing number of the 22 million UK residents living in our catchment area are choosing to fly from Manchester. We have made great headway to unlock the spare capacity at Manchester airport and are in talks with a range of carriers to further capitalize on the potential we offer in the short to medium term and develop our role as the UK’s global gateway from the north.’

Recent developments on the long haul front at #ManchesterAirport include Cathay Pacific adding a service to Hong Kong, increased capacity to Atlanta through Virgin Atlantic’s partnership with Delta, and an additional service to New York JFK in May. May also sees Thomas Cook Airlines starting a twice-weekly service to Miami.

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Manchester Airport reveals £1bn revamp

MANCHESTER AIRPORT aims to double capacity in a £1 billion upgrade. Its 10-year plan will include the expansion of Terminal 2, self-service check-in facilities, and a larger security hall which will allow passengers to clear #US immigration before boarding, similar to the system in place in #Ireland.

The work will also include improvements to Terminal 3, and create new food and retail outlets.

The airport has two runways, and is the UK’s third largest airport after Heathrow and Gatwick.

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Jet2 offers twilight check-in at Manchester Airport

JET2.COM and Jet2holidays passengers flying from Manchester Airport now have the option to check their luggage in the afternoon or early evening before their flight.

The twilight check-in service is available from 3pm-8pm each day at Jet2.com and Jet2 holidays’ check in area in Terminal One.

The company hopes to roll the service out to other airports in Britain.

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Busy April marks record year for Manchester airport

ALMOST 30,000 more people used Manchester airport last month than in April 2014, to bring the total up to 1.7 million. The rolling annual total of passengers stands at a record 22.3 million, up 6.7% year-on-year.

A busy Easter period and an increase in long-haul routes were key drivers of growth.

April saw Virgin Atlantic take over Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta service and add a larger aircraft to the route. Thomas Cook Airlines has started new direct services to Miami and New York, and plans flights to Los Angeles and Boston in 2016.

Airport managing director, Ken O’Toole, said: ‘Manchester Airport’s growth continues and we are already looking ahead to a busy summer schedule. With two full length runways, Manchester will continue to have the available capacity and demand to meet the needs of our airlines and passengers.’

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Picture Credit: Sunset Approach - Boeing 747-400 Virgin Atlantic by Joao Carlos Medau from Campinas, Brazil -via Wikimedia Commons

Thomson, First Choice increase regional options

MORE regional flying in 2016 is to be introduced by Thomson and First Choice, including a new route to Aruba from Manchester. Additional 10- and 11-night durations to Chania, Crete, are also being made available from Manchester.

Catania in Italy, Hurghada in Egypt, and Sal in Cape Verde are being introduced as new routes from Bristol Airport, together with 10- and 11-night durations to Rhodes.

The move is part of a strategy to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport.

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Picture Credit: Firstchoice b757-200 g-cpep arp by Adrian Pingstone Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons