Britain's industrial cities become holiday hotspots

They were once famous for their "dark satanic mills" and as grimy symbols of the industrial revolution. Now some of Britain's largest industrial cities are enjoying a new lease of life as "hip and fashionable" international tourist destinations, a survey reveals today. Although London and Edinburgh remain Britain's most popular tourist hotspots, they are being given a serious run for their money by Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. Tourism chiefs say the transformation is because people visiting the cities for business reasons are often "pleasantly surprised" by what they find and decide to return for a holiday. The survey, by national tourism agency VisitBritain, found London was the top destination for international tourists, with an average of 15 million overseas visitors staying overnight in each of the last four years, followed by Edinburgh with 1.3 million. It is based on an analysis of overnight stays by overseas visitors in UK cities between 2006 and 2009. However, Manchester – with a host of modern buildings including the Imperial War Museum North and the Lowry Centre in nearby Salford, a thriving art and culture scene and world-class sport – is firmly in third place with about 900,000 international visitors. Birmingham, noted for its "outstanding" arts and exhibitions, attracted 737,000 overseas visitors while Glasgow – now famous for its style, architecture and design – catered for 687,000 foreigners. For purely holiday trips, London again dominated with 6.6 million visits, with Edinburgh in second place on 771,000. Scotland's second city, Glasgow, came third with 312,000, followed by Inverness, in the Highlands, on 180,000. Liverpool, European capital of culture in 2008, comes next in the holiday league table with an average of 162,000 foreign visitors staying over in each of the past four years. ends