Southampton is one of the best places in the UK to
site a business with international aspirations, according to a report
from a top business advisory group.
The UK Cities Report has been drawn-up by Cushman and
Wakefield and puts Southampton in sixth position overall when it comes
to international transport links.
The report noted that Southampton International
Airport, with its close links to both rail and motorway networks,
coupled with Southampton Container Port, was continuing to attract
strong growth. More than 190,000 people travelled through the
airport during September, using the 14 airlines based at the airport
and its 47 European destinations.
Notably, some of the most well-used destinations
flown to from the airport include important business centres like
Frankfurt and Dusseldorf in Germany, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam and
Brussels.
Chris Butler, managing director at Southampton
Airport, said: "This highlights that cities are increasingly in
competition with each other to attract inward investment, and naturally
and international airport plays a key role in this."
Southampton fell behind London, Manchester,
Birmingham, Glasgow and Bristol in terms of international transport
links, it did beat Reading, Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne, Liverpool,
Belfast and Cardiff.
The report also considered the best cities in which
to site a UK business overall, with Southampton making it into the top
15 for the first time ever at number 13.
That is ahead of south coast rivals Portsmouth and
Bournemouth, with only London and Reading seen as a better place for
the business secton in the region. Sally Lynsky, chief executive of
Business Southampton, said: "There are 7,300 businesses in Southampton
providing employment for 116,000 people. This is a region of strong
economic growth, and international transport links play an important
part in maintaining global competitiveness."
Kristine Salomon-Olsen, head of representation at
Southampton Chamber of Commerce, added: "The fast track experience
through Southampton Airport must be greatly appreciated by business
travellers, which make up some 33 per cent of their passengers.
"Recent improvements to the airport, such as the
Flybe executive lounge, the wifi zone and number plate recognition
system for easy parking, along with the closest rail link in the UK,
have also proved beneficial." Source: Daily Echo. Friday, October 12, 2007
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