Supporting Greater Manchester's Visitor Economy with AI

Outdoor food hall seating at The Oast House Manchester

“Digital Dialog has been a great partner for Marketing Manchester to work with. The AI guide produced in collaboration with the team has given our tourism and hospitality businesses a clear starting point, with practical industry specific use cases and tips that are easy to implement. The follow up webinar hosted by Manu provided clear demonstrations and practical prompting advice, making the AI concepts accessible and actionable for attendees. We’ve had great feedback from the sector from both the AI Guide and interactive webinar with partners expressing increased confidence and enthusiasm to explore AI in their daily work.”

Matthew Gardner

Tourism Business Growth Manager

At a Glance

  • 36-page professionally designed AI guide
  • Tailored for tourism and hospitality SMEs across Greater Manchester
  • Co-branded with Marketing Manchester and GM Business Growth Hub
  • Follow-up webinar delivered to local businesses
  • Part of the Visitor Economy Accelerator Programme
AI guide for tourism and hospitality businesses in Greater Manchester

The Challenge

Marketing Manchester is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Greater Manchester and a VisitEngland-approved Local Visitor Economy Partner. As part of the Growth Company, they play a key role in promoting the city-region and supporting local tourism and hospitality businesses.

In January 2025, the Greater Manchester Strategy for the Visitor Economy 2025–2030 was launched, setting ambitious targets to make Manchester the most visited city region outside of London and a top 20 European destination. The strategy specifically highlighted the rise of artificial intelligence and the need for the visitor economy to grasp the opportunities it presents.

Marketing Manchester had already run introductory AI sessions with local businesses through internal partners at the Growth Company, and these were well received. The next step was to provide something more substantial: a comprehensive, practical resource that businesses could refer back to as they began their AI adoption journey.

They needed an external partner with deep expertise in both the tourism sector and AI to develop a guide that would be genuinely useful for small and medium-sized businesses, from cafés and guesthouses to attractions and event venues.

The Solution

We developed a 36-page AI guide specifically for tourism and hospitality businesses in Greater Manchester. The guide was designed to take businesses from curiosity to confident adoption, covering everything from understanding what AI is to practical implementation advice.

The guide includes:

  • An accessible introduction to AI and how large language models work
  • Practical use cases relevant to the sector, including chatbots, dynamic pricing, review management, and content creation
  • A comparison of AI tools suited to different business types
  • Guidance on writing effective prompts
  • A step-by-step implementation framework
  • Advice on overcoming common barriers such as cost, trust, and complexity
  • Real-world examples from recognisable brands

The content was written to be jargon-free and actionable, with checklists and templates included so businesses could take action immediately rather than just read and forget.

The guide was co-branded with Marketing Manchester and the GM Business Growth Hub, and made available to businesses across the region as part of their Visitor Economy Accelerator Programme.

Extending the Impact

A few months after the guide launched, we delivered a follow-up webinar for local businesses. The session had two aims: to raise awareness of the guide among businesses who hadn’t yet discovered it, and to give attendees an opportunity to ask questions and discuss how AI could work for their specific circumstances.

This combination of a comprehensive written resource and live engagement helped ensure the guide didn’t just sit on a website but became a practical starting point for real conversations about AI adoption.

Outdoor street dining in Manchester's Northern Quarter
Manchester Art Gallery interior with framed paintings on blue walls

The Outcome

The guide is now a core resource within Marketing Manchester’s business support offer, helping tourism and hospitality businesses across Greater Manchester understand and begin using AI.

Following the success of this project, we continue to support Marketing Manchester, with training workshops, AI consultancy for local businesses, and additional resources to support the region’s visitor economy.