The strategy outlines a long-term ambition to strengthen its position as a top global city region and will play a critical role in delivering the ambitions of the Greater Manchester Strategy vision. It sets out Greater Manchester’s international ambitions, priorities and action plan that includes: Trade, Investment, Visitor Economy, Research and Innovation and International Students, Global perception and reputation connectivity and City Region Diplomacy.
The Strategy can be downloaded from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
TRADE: In 2019 Greater Manchester exported £6.6bn worth of goods and £8.8bn work of services, equating to approximately 18% of our total GDP. View the Greater Manchester Export Plan.
INVESTMENT (FDI & FCI): Foreign owned companies are worth a total of £37billion to Greater Manchester’s economy, employing approximately 172,000 people.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION: Innovation has always been at the heart of Greater Manchester, with the city-region boasting an impressive history of “world firsts” and today recognised as the UK’s Top Digital Tech City.
VISITOR ECONOMY (BUSINESS AND LEISURE): In 2019, tourism contributed £9bn to Greater Manchester’s economy, sustaining over 101,000 jobs. Conferences alone contributed a spend of £862m.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Greater Manchester has the largest international student population outside of London with over 21,000 international students from more than 160 different countries.
CONNECTIVITY: Physical connectivity via Manchester Airport is a key for delivering our core international priorities. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on long-haul connectivity and we must work with Manchester Airport to re-instate these lost routes. We recognise the significant net zero challenge facing the aviation industry and are committed to working closely with Manchester Airport as they work towards full net-zero operations by 2038.
MARKETING AND PERCEPTION: Greater Manchester has successfully continued to communicate its story to the world, making strides to increase its rankings in a range of global indices. We regularly outrank large competitor regions, joining capital cities in global indices.
CITY-REGION DIPLOMACY: Greater Manchester is recognised as a key diplomatic hub in the north of England, hosting a total of 15 foreign diplomatic missions and has strategic partnerships with city-regions in Europe, China, South Asia, Japan, and the USA.