Updated on November 6, 2023 by Axel Hernborg

Axel Hernborg

Liverpool is a wonderful city to visit in the UK. There are many different attractions littered throughout, such as galleries and museums. In fact, there are said to be more here than in any other UK city outside of London.

Domestic tourists make up a large part of visitors who are attracted to the sights of Liverpool. In fact, Liverpool itself is said to be one of the UK’s most visited cities, all thanks to the football, architecture, and music culture.

The visitor economy has been one of the great success stories of the Liverpool City Region (LCR) during the past 15 years. 10% of the workforce is employed in the industry, and it attracts 60 million visitors and contributes £4.9 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the LCR economy.

Here, we explain some of the top trends in the Liverpool tourism industry.

Post-Pandemic Liverpool

The past 40 years were very difficult for Liverpool in terms of crises as the city has faced and weathered – many economic, social, and political crises besides riots, revolts, and rebellions during the Renaissance.

But the COVID-19 pandemic is above all and it is bigger than any of the recent crises the city has faced. However, now we are in 2023, how has Liverpool come out of the other side of this worldwide pandemic?

This pandemic has affected many industries, but the tourism industry is the most affected industry across the world, not just in the UK.

The pandemic itself has raised questions about the sustainability of the city’s recent achievements and its capacity to cope with travel and tourism challenges in the future.

The pandemic situation has begun to stabilize. Liverpool had outlined a plan to bounce back from a “seismic” blow to its famous tourism industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

The city has shown great resilience and with the help of more than £45m of Combined Authority funding, the city has been able to bounce back.

Post-Pandemic Trends In Liverpool

  1. Liverpool’s hotel industry has begun to boom. This in part is to do with the return of normal events such as football and the Grand National, as well as time-specific events that have occurred since the pandemic. For example the Liverpool FC Victory Parade and Eurovision.
  2. Liverpool has seen some of the best recovery rates when it comes to public transport compared to other areas of the UK.
  3. Visitors to Liverpool have risen by over 40 percent compared to 2021 data. This means more than 71.7 million people are traveling to Liverpool.
  4. The visitor economy in Liverpool has recovered to a healthy £3.58 billion. However, pre-covid it was worth around £5 billion.
  5. Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been able to increase its turnover and reduce losses due to a rising number of visitors. This is in part due to several events that have taken place, as well as consumer confidence returning to the airline industry post-pandemic.
  6. The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the biggest events to happen in Liverpool post-pandemic. During its announcement, it was said that the economy would get a £40 million boost from visitors spending money in the city.
  7. The recovery plan for a post-pandemic Liverpool ran until March 2023 and has been successful in bringing Liverpool’s economy close to what it was in 2019.

Liverpool Industry Tourism Insights

  1. Liverpool has seen an average growth of 5 percent every year when it comes to the economic value of its visitor economy based within the city area of Liverpool.
  2. According to Time Out, Liverpool is one of the best places to visit in the UK.
  3. The New Liverpool destination sign celebrates the city’s tourism demand. This major piece of artwork to symbolise Liverpool’s growing popularity as a must-see city has been unveiled.
  4. Currently, this sign is white in colour with its font designed by Liverpool-based Liz Harry, the sign is set to be transformed with various designs from local artists throughout the year.
  5. Spending has reached more than £3.58 billion which is a healthy value for the local economy in Liverpool.
  6. According to the Liverpool BID Company, the major city has a healthy footfall which is attracting businesses to open up. This in turn also attracts visitors which will help economic growth in the long run.

Contributions To Liverpool’s Tourism

Liverpool Tourism Statistics And Trends

  1. The recent Eurovision Song Contest brought in an influx of travelers from across the world to Liverpool where it was being hosted.
  2. An extra 500,000 people visited Liverpool over a two-week period during the Eurovision Song Contest. Early predictions stated that only 100,000 visitors would attend.
  3. Due to the Eurovision Village opening up for nine days, over 250,000 visitors were welcomed in this part of Liverpool which was situated on the Pier Head.
  4. At Liverpool ONE alone, over £19 million was spent in relation to Eurovision during the dates of May 7th to May 13th. This was a 23 percent rise compared to the same time last year (2022).
  5. Restaurants also saw a huge sales increase of 87 percent on the day of the Eurovision Final.
  6. Liverpool City Council state that The Beatles bring in tourism to Liverpool, with over 600,000 visitors estimated to be worth around £100 million.
  7. Liverpool’s economy relies heavily on visitors to its attractions. This includes popular museums, the football club, Beatles exhibitions, and heritage sites.
  8. The Visitor Economy in Liverpool is worth £4.9bn and supports over 55,500 jobs. However, this number is growing year upon year.
  9. Hotel occupancy in Liverpool is reported to be close to what it was pre-pandemic.

Extra Liverpool Tourism Trends

  1. Conde Nast Traveller has ranked Liverpool twice as the UK’s friendliest city. This was a reader-led vote.
  2. Over 35,000 people attended the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool. It was another event that boosted the footfall of the city during post-pandemic times.
  3. The multimillion-pound Shakespeare North Playhouse opened in nearby Prescot. This completed the Shakespearean triangle with Stratford-upon-Avon and London.
  4. The Beatles is Liverpool’s most famous musical export.
  5. Three of the city’s most iconic buildings (Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall, and Croxteth Hall) have now joined forces to embrace a pioneering new booking system.
  6. OPTIMO, a multi-award-winning venue, event, and facilities software provider is being used for booking. This is the latest innovation, and with this booking system, seeing these three spaces’ historic beauty has become infinitely more accessible to both residents and visitors.
  7. Now, the Liverpool City landmark has been named as one of the best value for the money in the UK.
  8. The Baltic Farm is a community-embedded urban farm and cultural events space in the city centre.
  9. The Baltic Farm has transformed the urban landscape of the Baltic Triangle to bring a sense of community to the area, building a local food network and creating jobs.
  10. Liverpool Castle is the castle in Liverpool that was built to protect King John’s new port, and was sited at the top of what is now Lord Street, offering the highest point in the city overlooking “the Pool”.
  11. There are hidden vaults beneath the city centre in Liverpool, an arched vault sits below ground level near Pier Head towards Water Street.

Attractions In Liverpool For Visitors

  1. Liverpool is swiftly gaining a reputation for the vibrancy and breadth of choice of its food scene.
  2. Visitors can find dishes from Russia, Africa, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Vietnam, and Mexico to name but a few, from high-end fine dining to street food.
  3. Food and drink festivals are a regular on the city’s calendar.
  4. Liverpool is fast becoming known as the ‘Hollywood of the North’ with stars of TV and the silver screen and well-known directors queuing up to use the city as a backdrop.
  5. Liverpool has more museums, theatres, and galleries than anywhere outside London.
  6. The city’s Walker Art Gallery is considered one of the 20 greatest galleries for Victorian art in the world.
Top 10 Places to Visit in Liverpool | England - English

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