[Excerpt from the Manchester Metro News - 11 Aug 06, with comments added in brackets]
Stockport could soon be on the map as a top North West tourist destination.
A plan to boost the borough's visitor potential was unveiled to council bosses this week, with the message that "Stockport has considerable potential to attract visitors in great numbers".
The 5-year pla describes how Stockport should aim to attract top restaurant brands such as ASK, Loch Fyne and Pizza Express to a town centre entertainment quarter. [The Loch Fyne website looks impressive, but I think Stockport should aim for something more prestigious than Pizza Express.]
The plan also reccomends that the Old Town be used as a festival quarter hosting cultural events [as long as it doesn't mean ejecting the Market to make space], and that the shopping experience be "re-invented to appeal to style-hounds and cosmopolitans".
Council bosses also hope to find a site for a four-star or boutique hotel.
The strategy will be formally launched in October.
[There is already a great deal in Stockport to attract tourists, we have got to start telling people about it.]
