EVEN MORE VISITORS FLOCK TO LIVERPOOL!

The Liverpool City Region’s visitor economy is now worth more than £4.5bn, supports 53,500 jobs and attracts 64m visitors a year. 

According to the latest research by Liverpool LEP, the visitor economy  continues to grow in importance to Liverpool in the years since the 2008 Capital of Culture year and helps drive development in the city .

In the private sector, hotels and serviced apartments have constantly appeared among the monthly planning agendas. Elliot Group will open the Seel Street Hotel by Epic in November, by which time it is expected to make a start with a 306-bedroom hotel in the Baltic district in October. Wates is to build a 200-bedroom hotel close to the cruise terminal, while Accor has paid £20m to acquire the Novotel on the edge of Liverpool ONE.

Peter Sandman, head of visitor economy for the LEP, said: “In the ten years since Liverpool became European Capital of Culture, the city, and region as a whole has seen the visitor economy experience a healthy growth and the sector continues to contribute significantly to the region’s economy.

“It is particularly encouraging to see our overseas visitors staying longer, as well as the number of jobs supported by the sector continuing to grow.”

Liverpool retained its place as the fifth most visited destination in the UK for overseas visitors, with overnight trips showing a 2.2% increase. There was an uplift of 3.5% in the average income per occupied room across the year

The LEP’s visitor economy team commissioned research on 2017’s performance, which brought out headline city region-wide figures including:

• The region welcomed more than 64.2m visitors – a 2.7% increase. This comprised of 59m day visitors, up 2.8%, and 5.3m staying visitors, up 2.6% on the previous year.
• Those staying in paid accommodation rose by 3.6% to 2.6m – the economic impact from this alone rising by 8.9% to £950m.
• Consequently, the region has enjoyed increased employment in the sector – over 53,500 jobs, an increase of 3.5%.

The LEP said that factors helping Liverpool’s performance included Liverpool John Lennon Aiport, which continued its steady rise in passenger numbers since being re-acquired by Peel in 2014. LJLA recorded 4.95m passengers, a 3% increase that represented its highest total since 2011.

Key events in the city included the Open Golf Championship, held at Royal Birkdale in Sefton, and the River Festival. Although not cited by the LEP, the expansion of Anfield, which has added around 8,000 seats to Liverpool FC’s stadium, has added further to the club’s ability to satisfy a global fanbase.

For more information on Liverpool’s visitor economy visit visitliverpool.com