Member Article

Key sectors drive business travellers to North West

Manufacturing, technology and media and telecoms (TMT) are the leading sectors in attracting business travellers to Manchester and the North West, according to research from Deloitte and Manchester Airport.

Based on detailed interviews, the study is the first of its kind to look at which industries drive business travel into the airport and the North West.

Of 280 interviews, 22% of travellers were visiting companies in the manufacturing sector, with 16% in TMT.

Other key sectors among business visitors included energy and resources, and consumer business, both at 12%.

Among the sectors generating fewer visitors were financial services, infrastructure and capital programmes and healthcare and life sciences.

21% of respondents flying into Manchester Airport were visiting from the US, with Germany (17%) and Ireland (10%) as the next most popular countries of origin.

It points to these countries as key trading partners, showing relatively few business visitors from the BRIC nations of Brazel, Russia, India and China.

Jo Ahmed, director in Global Employer Services at Deloitte in the North West, who led the research, said: “This is the first study of its kind carried out at Manchester Airport and it is fascinating in what it tells us about business visitors to the North West.

“As well as confirming what we knew about the strength of the North West’s manufacturing sector, it also backs up the evidence suggesting that the region is nurturing an increasingly significant reputation in TMT. These are key areas to be leading the field in as they provide well-paid jobs and high levels of gross value-added.

“We are intrigued to see how the data will develop as we continue to carry out the surveys on a regular basis as part of our relationship with Manchester Airport.”

Roger Westerbeek, Manchester Airport’s head of customer relationship management, said: “With passenger numbers continuing to grow and the arrival of Airport City in 2030, it is vital that we understand the needs of our outbound and inbound business travellers.

“Airport City will attract global firms to the area, allowing us to widen our route network to the FarEast and other new economies. Understanding our customers through studies of this nature then allows us to plan our products and services for the future.

“I look forward to working with Deloitte to see the results of the next survey and understand how we will apply the data to benefit passengers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .