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’s getting loads of attention from travel reviewers around the world.

Many of these journalists travel to Manchester after an invite from Marketing Manchester, whose job it is to sell the city around the globe.

Last year, they welcomed just shy of 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 we’ve seen that sell Manchester to the world.

We're a vegetarian's paradise

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.

lVijaya 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 the fare available for vegetarians.

lVijaya, who stayed at The Principal Manchester hotel during her visit in February, writes of her visit to Wood, the fine dining restaurant on Jack Rosenthal Street, run by Simon Wood.

She writes: “I chose cauliflower soup and grilled salmon while Andy opted for a vegan menu.”

On meeting Simon, she adds: “To my surprise enquiries, he spoke of the vegetarian movement that has its roots in Greater Manchester. 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 lVijaya: “My initial shudder turned into a smile as I entered “The Mackie Mayor”- it is now a vibrant, bustling eatery with an unmatched charm. In disrepair for decades, it was brought back to life in 2017 with innovative food courts.

"Good, they did it: 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.”

Our trams and buses are 'modern and efficient'

Boston Globe: Our public transport - and particularly the Metrolink network - can get some serious stick at times for delays and points failures.

But - and although he may not have experienced waiting for a tram during a hot rush hour - 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 hard-working 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.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

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.”

Blogger ‘Travelling Dany’, meanwhile, writes: “Public transport in Manchester is easy to find (especially trams) , easy to use and very clean.”

There's so much more to our canals than traffic cones and aggressive swans

Manchester’s canals don’t always get the best press.

But back to the New Indian Express , and lVijaya Pratap 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. Castle Field is the site of the city’s first human settlement in 79 AD.

"With the remnants of Roman Era dominating, this waterside neighbourhood is incredibly picturesque, partitioned by winding canals, and dotted with renovated industrial warehouses turned into swanky pubs and bars.”

We are 'obsessed' with gin

Sina Weibo (China) : In this April 2018 article Manchester is described as a “city with distinct personality. When I came to Manchester City, 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’, starting in the 17th century when the ‘British people witnessed the Dutch soldiers drink a glass before the war to boost morale.”

It describes how heavy taxation on wine made gin popular in the UK - ‘and some people began to rely too much on the gin after the war’.

This led to higher gin taxes and a ban on private brewing.

But Manchester is keeping the tradition alive with its ‘mellow’ flavoured gin - and this reviewer is a big fan.

“I used a whole afternoon to understand, in addition to its origin, more of the Manchester City people’s obsession.”

We're the birthplace of Rolls Royce - and the Beckham franchise

(Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

Gulf News: In this July 2018 review , 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 that goes by the name of Midland Hotel’, 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.”

The world-renowned Beckhams also get a mention...

“Decades later, the same Midland Hotel played host as a gorgeous couple stepped out of their limousines one evening for their first date. David Beckham and Victoria Caroline Adams’s candle-lit dinner would soon force British tabloids on to extra print runs, the paparazzi into a tizzy and the rumour mills on a never-ending grind!”

Shopping in the Arndale is better than shopping in Italy

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Travelling Dany blog (Italy): On this blog, 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.

“Like many large shopping malls, there’s a food court. If you’re planning your Manchester tour on a budget, here you will find cheap eats and everything else you might need.

“What can we say… 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 at in the evening, as it’s pretty close to a few of Manchester highlights!"

We've got some great statues

Back to the Gulf News - and 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, who had propounded an end to a capitalist order through a working-class uprising, right in the heart of a city that has been built on the material and inspirational gains of a manufacturing superstore!”

Abraham Lincoln - “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 life-size statue of former United States president Abraham Lincoln, gracing the Square named after him.”

And to some up a city steeped in history “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've got a lot of rain - but we're 'good at it'

(Image: MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS)

Richard Green, a reviewer for Australian travel blog Escape both 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.”

Commenting on how ‘the dampness’ prevented cotton from snapping during weaving in the days when Manchester was the world’s first industrial city known as Cottonpolis, the rain returns at the end of the review.

“Out of the blue it starts to rain, but along with everyone else I scoop up my glass and joined the friendly indoor crush. What might have been a day-spoiling event in many cities was over in 10 minutes. Then we all take our drinks outside again as though nothing had happened.”

See? We may have rain but we handle it like warriors.

London may be a 'global village' - but Manchester is a 'slow-fire earthen nook'

Just one more dive into the Gulf News - and this:

“And there’s history woven into every inch of those brick-and-mortar edifices. If a walk down any of the streets or open-access public spaces in London makes you feel that rush of adrenaline and cheerful din of a welcoming global village that’s steeped in a culture that’s all-pervading, then Manchester is that slow-fire earthen nook that enraptures you with its ever-growing warmth and promises you an ‘and-so-to-bed’ lullaby of time well-spent, far from the maddening crowds.”

So next time you’re having a tough time on a gloomy winter’s day, just remember - you’re on of the lucky few living in a slow-fire earthen nook.

The Piccadilly Rats have made it big in the Netherlands

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

We may take this quirky band for granted - but this review could be the boost they need on the international stage.

On Netherlands music website Humo ’s review of Parklife, they get some serious air time.

It’s not the most flattering review - the singer is compared to a cheese slicer - but it’s a mention all the same, and in the introduction no less.

The reviewer writes: “A few years ago the local village giants decided every decade on the town square, Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester, to come up with declaiming pop and rock ‘n roll covers.

"The percussionist is consistently offbeat , the vocal chords of the singer resemble a cheese slicer, the bassist covers his tronie with a rat mask and sometimes a dancer joins in - if you are willing to play the caprioles that a 50-year old ladder pulls for his balance to be able to store under the umbrella term ‘choreography’ for convenience.

“Every weekend they are there and this year their perseverance was rewarded: a few months ago a petition was started to get The Piccadilly Rats on the stage of Parklife.

"The moment that The Rats made their debut at noon at the biggest city festival in the United Kingdom, felt like a small victory for the forgotten residue of modernity."

We're a draw for Harry Potter fans

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.

"The Reading Room features soaring arches, towering stained-glass windows, quiet reading alcoves, soft glowing lamps, and plenty of tomes to examine — plus admission is free and there are rotating exhibits created in part by the museum staff. It’s likely you’ll find yourself coming back for a return visit not long after the first.”

And in Sina Weibo (China), the reviewer writes: “The library is full of patina and has a historical charm. It is more like a castle than a library. In addition to the gorgeous decorative style, the cathedral also has the world’s top collections, including the oldest version of the New Testament. There is a feeling of entering Hogwarts, full of humanity and love.”

We have very interesting Roman roots

(Image: Stacey MacNaught/ Flickr)

On US blog Man About World , Ed Salvato writes of the Manchester’s industrial past - but this review goes back much further, discovering it was in Roman times that ‘Mancunians’ were born.

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 known as Mancunium, a name that lives on in “Mancunian,” what people from Manchester call themselves.”

Manchester's a good spot for a quintessentially English cream tea

(Image: Iain Cameron/Flickr)

In December’s ‘36 Hours in Manchester, England’ in the New York Times, Susanne Fowler 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 made with free-range egg and watercress, or goat cheese and spinach (£14.95).

"For a twist on the Alice in Wonderland experience, take your tea party (pot for two is £5.95) for a slice of decadently decorated layer cake (about £4.50) within the pastel walls and faux-frosted counter tops of the Richmond Tea Rooms in the area known as the Gay Village.”

Ancoats - the 'world's first industrial suburb'

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

San Francisco Chronicle: We all know Ancoats is a brilliant place to live and visit.

But just to confirm - ”A 10-minute walk from Piccadilly Station, this tidy grid of restored cotton warehouses — virtually abandoned by the 1980s — now hosts independent cafes, restaurants and art venues amid shiny offices and condos.”

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