Although we may be a little biased, there’s nothing quite like the buzz of Liverpool, from its beautiful city skyline to the welcoming people. The city offers a wide array of experiences for both visitors and locals alike and has just played host to one of the world’s biggest music events, Eurovision! Although Liverpool has long been a hot spot for tourism, cue The Beatles and two quite famous football clubs, there’s been a significant impact on the visitor economy of the city as a result of hosting Eurovision.
As with all hospitality and tourism across the U.K. there’s been plenty of uncertainty with rising costs for many businesses, and Liverpool had a huge challenge on its hands to cater for the huge influx of European and International Visitors that were headed over to take part in the celebrations! But with the global coverage, and support of VisitBritain and VisitEngland, Liverpool did what it does best, and took the challenge it its stride, committing to 55, 000 room nights for the Eurovision bid, with the support of local accommodation providers to achieve this. To ensure that visitors to the city had the best time, Marketing Liverpool teamed with their partners across bars, restaurants and attractions to provide the real city experience!
According to the BBC, the Eurovision Song Contest generated nearly £20m in extra revenue for the retail complex, Liverpool One, with an estimated football increase of 31.5% during the week of the final. Major Steve Rotherham said there would be up to ‘£250m’ in economic benefits across the region in the next two years, with businesses describing footfall like Christmas’.
Fast forward to June 2023 and things continue to look wonderful for the hospitality and tourism sector in the city. There’s a new 5-star hotel on the block, The Municipal Hotel, which offers impressive architecture, inside and out, plus a series of incredible events taking place throughout the year, including The Sacred Return of Lost Things, The Open, Liverpool Biennial and the Bootle Music Festival. And of course, now having the legacy of hosting Eurovision for years to come and for national and international visitors to celebrate the great music and cultural offering the city has to offer for themselves!
