Manchester open top sightseeing bus launches on Good Friday

Manchester will welcome its first daily sightseeing tour bus service this week when it takes to the streets for its inaugural journey on Good Friday.

The hop-on hop-off bus – operated by experienced bus tour operator Philip Higgs – will fill a significant gap in the market as Manchester is currently one of few cities in the UK without a daily sightseeing bus tour despite having a rapidly growing tourism economy, currently worth £7.9bn.

‘Sightseeing Manchester: the hop-on hop-off city tour’ will give visitors a new, flexible way to discover Greater Manchester’s top tourist attractions with tickets valid for 24 hours from time of purchase.

The tour will run every day apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day with multiple departures per day.

As part of a phased launch the tour will commence with an initial route that starts in Albert Square and visits 15 tourism hotspots throughout Manchester, Salford and Trafford. Additional routes incorporating areas of East Manchester and the University corridor are currently being developed and will be introduced later in the year.

In an additional coup for the city, English commentary for the tour will be provided by Lord of the Rings and Lost actor Dominic Monaghan who grew up in Stockport. Monaghan is one of Marketing Manchester’s global ambassadors, recruited to promote positive national and international perceptions of Greater Manchester.

Philip Higgs, managing director at Sightseeing Manchester, said: “As a born and bred Mancunian who has operated sightseeing tours in other cities across Europe, it always struck me as odd that Greater Manchester, with its many iconic tourist hotspots, has not previously had a daily, year-round bus tour.

“Having recently returned to the city after a number of years away – and seeing how far the tourism industry has come on in that time – I am delighted to be able to start a new business to fill the gap in the market and I’m looking forward to packing our striped green buses with tourists.”

Sheona Southern, managing director at Marketing Manchester part of the Manchester Growth Company, said: “We’re delighted by the news that Manchester will soon have a dedicated daily sightseeing tour and we are very excited for the imminent launch. Greater Manchester’s lack of a daily sightseeing bus tour has been something we have wanted to remedy for a number of years – especially given the rapid growth of the region’s tourism sector – so we are very excited by the introduction of such a fantastic bookable tourism product operated by an industry expert like Phil.”

Dominic Monaghan added: “As a staunch Mancunian I am delighted to loan my voice to curious people exploring this fascinating city.”

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