Agents from the Birmingham areas are to be targeted by Manchester airport with its first trade event in the city.
The north-west hub claims to be in “easy reach” of people living in the West Midlands and aims to highlight to agents the range of routes served.
More than 1.24 million passengers a year are estimated travel from the West Midlands to use Manchester airport, despite Birmingham airport being on the doorstep.
Up to 200 agents are due to attend the showcase at the Novotel in Birmingham on February 7.
They will be ale to meet representatives from more than 20 airlines and tourist boards served from Manchester. Key routes being profiled on the night include San Francisco, Boston, Beijing and Houston.
Airlines including American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada Rouge, Saudia, Cathay Pacific, Etihad will be exhibiting along with tourist offices from a wide range of destinations.
Manchester is the nearest airport to the West Midlands that these airlines fly from.
More than 25 prizes will be offered on the night, including flights.
Direct long-haul routes served at Manchester, which can only also be found at London airports in the UK, include Beijing, Boston, Houston, Singapore, Jeddah, Los Angeles, Miami, Muscat, Hong Kong, Phuket, Tobago, Mauritius, Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, Calgary and Lahore.
Airport commercial director Stephen Turner said: “Manchester airport is a global gateway and offers a magnitude of routes that are not on offer anywhere else outside of London.
“Events like this allow us to inform potential passengers and key travel agents about the breadth of our offering to save their customers the time and hassle of using congested airports in the South.
“All of the routes and airlines being showcased on the night cannot be found in the Midlands and Manchester airport is a much easier choice than having to fly indirectly from other hubs, or make the journey to Heathrow or Gatwick.
“We have always highlighted the need for a network of competing airports while capacity is constrained in the south-east, and events like this showcase how Manchester can provide a solution.”