Marketing Manchester has been shortlisted in two categories at the inaugural International Travel and Tourism Awards.
The agency, which works to promote Greater Manchester on a national and international stage, has been selected in the ‘Best Regional / City Campaign’ and ‘Best PR campaign’ categories.
The shortlist follows last week’s figures released by the ONS showing tourism in Greater Manchester has increased by 11 percent, welcoming 1.3m visitors to the region in 2017.
Judges shortlisted two campaigns – the first is the ‘Come Together’ campaign, which promoted the wealth of experiences on offer across Greater Manchester to an international audience, resulting in an additional £8.7m boost to the visitor economy.
Other organisations in this category include Zagreb Tourist Board, Visit Flanders and Tourism Toronto.
The other shortlisted was the ‘Worker Bee Weekender’ PR campaign, which brought 77 international social media influencers to the city to explore and create positive images following the Manchester Arena attack.
The campaign, held in July 2017, resulted in 600 images of Manchester on social media which caught the attention of more than 10 million people.
In this category Marketing Manchester is joined by the likes of Canary Islands Tourism, Visit Orlando and AIG Travel.
In its first year, the prestigious awards scheme celebrates the very best of travel and tourism on a global scale, recognising the outstanding successes of destinations, tourist boards, private sector companies and individuals.
The winners will be announced to an audience of more than 500 leading industry figures – including government ministers – during a prestigious Awards Ceremony at London’s Grade I-listed Tobacco Dock on the evening of Tuesday November 6.
Sheona Southern, Managing Director at Marketing Manchester, said: “We are delighted to receive a double shortlist in the International Travel and Tourism Awards for our campaigns to promote Greater Manchester on the world stage.
“The shortlist acknowledges two of our most creative and innovative campaigns to date, recognising the invaluable work our team carries out around the world to ensure Greater Manchester is seen as an exceptional visitor destination.”
Charlotte Alderslade, International Travel & Tourism Awards co-founder, said: “We’ve had some incredible entries from across the globe – from destinations as diverse as the Faroe Islands, Japan, Peru, Slovenia, Manchester and Kerala – and they all demonstrate how tourism is playing a vital role in the economies of different cities and regions.”