China invests in Britain’s first Airport City
China is investing in Britain’s first Airport City, creating 16,000 new jobs in Manchester.
The deal with the Beijing Construction Engineering Group, was announced by George Osborne during a visit to China – one of the largest ever British-Chinese ventures.
The Chancellor also announced changes to the visa system to attract more Chinese tourists to the UK, see other story.
Other investors in the £800 million joint venture in Manchester are Carillion PLC and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.
Initial planning permission was given for the project, which will take 15 years to complete, at the start of 2013.
It will see Manchester compete alongside other European "Airport Cities" in Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Barcelona.
The development will provide over 5 million square feet of business space, including manufacturing, warehousing, offices, hotels, retail and leisure outlets across a 160 acre regeneration site and create over 16,000 jobs.
The first area for development will be adjacent to the airport railway station, and north of the M56 motorway and will mainly consist of hotel, office, and manufacturing facilities.
The second core site will be situated nearby the existing cargo centre near junction 6 of the M56.
Manchester Airport is currently used by over 20 million passengers annually and has flights to more than 200 global destinations.
Over 6.5 million people (8% of the UK population) live in Manchester and the North West area, accounting for 11% of UK GDP.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has been actively looking to the Far East for a direct airline service between Manchester and China in the last year.
MAG’s Chief Executive, Charlie Cornish, is the chair of the Manchester-China Forum, a new business-led initiative aimed at increasing Greater Manchester’s commercial connectivity with China.
Diane
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025