Manchester promotion for Swansea Bay

MILLIONS of Mancunians are being encouraged to visit Swansea Bay with a range of targeted marketing activities.

Swansea Council has arranged for 130 promotional poster panels to go up on the Manchester Metrolink in the build-up to this weekend's Barclays Premier League game against Manchester City at the Liberty Stadium.

The posters show Rhossili Bay in its full glory and encourage people to escape the grind of the daily commute to work by heading to Gower. Each poster also includes the official Visit Swansea Bay destination website and a Quick Response (QR) Code. Anyone who scans over the QR Code with their smartphone is then automatically redirected to the http://visitswanseabay.com website.

Statistics show more than 20 million people use the Manchester Metrolink every year and adverts have also been placed in newspapers in and around the Manchester area. They include the Manchester Evening News, the Rochdale Observer, the Stockport Times and a further 20 titles. The adverts again feature a photo of Rhossili and tell readers they could feel a million miles away in stunning Swansea Bay in just a few hours.

Swansea Council's tourism team is also targeting Manchester-based fans of short breaks and city breaks with online marketing campaigns.

Cllr Graham Thomas, Swansea Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Recreation and Tourism, said: "We undertook a similar type of marketing activity on the Tube in the build-up to Swansea City's games against London-based teams and the feedback was very encouraging.

"We're trying to make sure the entire Swansea Bay area benefits from Premier League status and images of coastal beauty spots like Gower will be especially attractive to football fans living in big landlocked cities like Manchester."

Manchester City are currently top of the Premier League. The squad boasts star players like David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure.

Frances Jenkins, Swansea Council's Strategic Manager for Tourism, Marketing and Events, said: "The profile of Manchester City means millions of people across the world will be keen to find out about Swansea this weekend.

"We hope this level of exposure and our marketing activities in Manchester will encourage people to visit Swansea Bay and make return trips in future."

Take a peek at http://visitswanseabay.com/fanscorner to have a look at a dedicated fans corner guide to Swansea Bay that's been set up for visiting football supporters.

 Sign up for daily news alerts at www.swansea.gov.uk/subscribe

 Follow us on Twitter

 Council News Feed