Tourism in Manchester is booming with foreign travellers bringing nearly £670m to the economy last year - leaving Birmingham for dust when it comes to ‘second city’ appeal.

New figures show there’s been a 10 per cent increase in overseas visitors, with 1,319,000 tourists in 2017, compared to 1,191,000 the previous year.

Supporting Ian Brown’s assertion that Manchester has ‘everything but a beach’, it’s also pulled away from Birmingham as the third most-visited city in the UK.

While Manchester saw a 10.7 per cent rise in visitors numbers in 2017, its West Midlands rival saw numbers grow by just 0.2 per cent to 1,117,000.

The Office for National Statistics figures show that 348,000 people visited for a holiday, while 390,000 were on business.

A further 354,000 were here to see family or friends. Some 71pc of visitors to Manchester came from Europe, with 9pc from North America.

Those visits are made easier by Manchester Airport’s choice of 220 destinations. In fact, the north west is the fastest growing region in the UK for American tourists, with a 21pc year-on-year rise.

Thanks to direct routes to Hong Kong and Beijing, more Chinese tourists are also making their way to Manchester.

Aside from the obvious pull of Manchester City and Manchester United football clubs, there’s the proud music heritage and fascinating industrial past.

But, as many experts argue, Manchester has also become a true ‘weekend break’ city to compete with other European hubs thanks to its thriving cultural scene and array of bars, restaurants and events like the Manchester International Festival.

And even more of late, the city’s many assets are highlighted in the glowing reports from high-profile publications - again aiding Manchester’s growing significance on the world map.

Examples can be found in the likes of Lonely Planet - “In the 21st century, invention, discovery and progress remain the driving forces of this remarkable place, which responded to a terrible act of terrorism in 2017 by doubling down on the tolerant and inclusive attitudes toward all those who’ve made it home.”

(Image: Getty Images)

Or the New York Times - “A visit becomes an exercise in peeling back layers of sooty, hard-working history to arrive at a shinier, bustling and hopeful present.”

Jonathan Schofield, 54, from Rochdale, has been working as a Manchester tour guide for more than 20 years.

Most of his tours sell out and he’s just published a new guide book to take advantage of the boom - contributing to a growing archive of literature on the city.

He credits ‘seriously good events’ and our top museums, libraries and improved bar and restaurant offering for helping Manchester to become a ‘genuine weekend break’ destination like Antwerp, Dusseldorf or Munich.

He added: “On a weekend break you know there are going to be cathedrals, old buildings, a nice square and good food. You are going for the general appeal of the place.”

Citing the Manchester International Festival and Manchester Day as examples of big successful events that are also a draw, he said word of mouth is also central to the city’s success.

Whereas a decade ago people were more reliant on travel agents for advice who would more likely recommend London or Oxford, he argued, now people are searching ‘more independently’ for their holiday destinations.

Jonathan says there are also more visitors coming from down south - but argues Manchester could do better still.

“We lack attention to detail, we could look after the streets better and we have a terrible homelessness problem but we’re definitely on the up,” he added.

Our flourishing tourist scene is carefully managed by Marketing Manchester who plough their efforts and millions of pounds - from the council and private organisations - into enhancing Greater Manchester’s image overseas.

Targeting priority markets like China, the USA, India, the Middle East and Europe, they work with the likes of Manchester Airport, VisitBritain and key airlines.

Sheona Southern, Marketing Manchester managing director, said the region’s visitor economy supports around 94,000 full time jobs and Greater Manchester’s tourism figures are up by 12pc.

She says Manchester United and Manchester City - both in the world’s top five most valuable brands - are often the first thing people mention in discussions about Manchester.

The legacies of acts like the Stone Roses, New Order, The Smiths and Oasis - and music events like Parklife and the Warehouse Project - are also high on the agenda.

But she added: “However, we’re increasingly seeing that Manchester’s arts and culture are proving a considerable draw. Our latest visitor data tells us that Greater Manchester’s most visited attractions in 2016 were The Lowry, HOME, the Museum of Science and Industry and Manchester Art Gallery, showing it’s the region’s cultural attractions that are pulling in the biggest crowds.

“This recognition is set to greatly increase next year as the city works to amplify its cultural offer ahead of the launch of the Factory, a truly world-class arts and theatre space that will sit at the heart of Manchester’s cultural industry, and broadcast Mancunian culture to the world.”

And tourism is important for the region’s economy.

The surge in foreign visitors generated an extra £193 million for the Manchester economy in 2017, the figures suggest.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Manchester’s surge in 2017 was driven almost entirely by holidaymakers, rather than those who visit for business or personal reasons.

The number of people visiting for a holiday rose by 76,000, while the number visiting for business was up by just 1,000.

The overall value of foreign tourism of all kinds to Manchester rose from £475m to £668m over the year - an increase of £193m.

That includes the cost of accommodation as well as any spend while in the city.

There are now 22,000 hotel bedrooms in Greater Manchester and 9,000 in Manchester city centre.

Proving demand, there are 20 hotels at various stages of planning or being built.

Adrian Ellis, chairman of Manchester Hoteliers’ Association (MHA), said he's noticed an increase in overseas guests, particularly those hailing from the Middle East, China and America.

This, he argues, is driving higher quality hospitality, as is the increasing number of people choosing to live in the city centre who want a good choice of restaurants and bars.

He added: “These statistics come as no surprise. Manchester is a thriving mid-size European city that is home to great businesses, a strong professional workforce, fantastic universities, an increasing number of hotels and some of the best music, art and conference venues, shops, bars and restaurants in the country.

“Add to that Manchester United and Manchester City – two of the most high profile football clubs in the world – and a raft of other sporting institutions such as Lancashire County Cricket Club and you can soon see the powerful pull Manchester has with a wide range of visitors."

Professor Gary Davies, Manchester Business School retail and branding expert for 25 years, agrees that Manchester is now more ‘on the map’ than ever.

“If you ask people abroad to name cities they’ve heard of in the UK they remember London - but they can usually remember Manchester.

“I remember when I arrived here 40 years ago and there were hardly any hotels, there wasn’t the interest to build them, the focus was on manufacturing jobs not service jobs.

(Image: MEN Media)

“At the time it was extremely difficult for business people to find a hotel in Manchester. Now there are good hotels, restaurants and cafes, there is choice and the good places aren’t known only to Mancunians like they used to be.”

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “In recent years we have added routes to places like Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as several locations in the Middle East and United States. All of these services have been shown to have a significant impact on the region’s visitor economy, and there is no better example than the Hainan Airlines service to Beijing, which delivered a £140m boost to the region in its first year.

“As we add more routes and increase frequency on current ones, it can only be a benefit to the city through the economic value tourism provides, through secondary spend on hotels, restaurants and attractions. This year alone we have added flights to India and Ethiopia, both of which open up Manchester and the North to potential new visitors.”

London remains streets ahead as the UK’s top destination for foreign visitors, with 19.8m in 2017.

Edinburgh is second, with 2m.

Liverpool is fifth and Glasgow, Oxford, Bristol, Cambridge and Brighton complete the top 10 of most visited cities.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

MOST VISITED FREE ATTRACTIONS IN GREATER MANCHESTER

1. The Lowry, Salford - 846,097

2. HOME, Manchester - 837,621

3. MSI Mancheter - 651,473

4. Manchester Art Gallery - 593,168

5. National Football Museum - 481,541

6. Manchester Museum - 406,997

7. Bolton Museum, Aquarium and Archive - 354,653

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

8. Runway Visitor Park - 338,450

9. The Whitworth - 321,269

10. IWM North, Trafford - 281,919

11. The John Ryland’s Library - 242,892

12. Manchester Cathedral - 176,704

13. Portland Basin Museum, Tameside - 114,207

14. Gallery Oldham - 110,491

15. Salford Museum and Art Gallery - 104,701

16. People’s History Museum - 93,404

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

MOST VISITED PAID ATTRACTIONS

1. Manchester United Museum and Tour Centre - 313,812

2. Dunham Massey - 285,637

3. East Lancashire Railway and Bury Transport Museum, Bury - 201,916

4. Breakout Manchester - 61,895

5. iFLY, Trafford - 51,876

6. BBC Tours at MediaCityUK, Salford - 25,321

7. Museum of Transport - 19,066

*These are from 2016