Press Releases
View All Press Releases| VisitLiverpool | 02 Nov 2009 |
Thriving, vibrant, stylish... Liverpool City Region is ‘Europe’s Cultural Capital’ You have to experience it for yourself
• UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront home for
new £72million Museum of Liverpool
• KLM international air route link between
Liverpool and Schiphol boosts global connectivity
• Excellent ‘City Break’ destination
• £1billion Liverpool ONE project
• Conference industry developments in
Liverpool, Southport and Wirral Peninsula
• New hotels for Hilton and Novotel
• New £22million Liverpool Canal Link takes narrowboat passengers into heart of the city
• New £10.5million Mersey Ferries Terminal and unique, wide-ranging visitor attractions
Liverpool City Region
Welcome to Europe’s Cultural Capital
Steeped in history with a rich cultural heritage, Liverpool City Region is a thriving, stylish, cosmopolitan and vibrant city break destination.
Renowned for its strong maritime history, and passion for music, the arts, culture and sport, it’s no wonder the city revelled in its status as European Capital of Culture 2008.
Liverpool City Region has an unbeatable variety of world-class museums, galleries and theatres, as well as stunning architecture and a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront – all of which should be experienced first-hand. Visitors really are spoilt for choice in ‘Europe’s Cultural Capital’.
In recent years, billions of pounds of investment have transformed the City Region for both tourism and business visitors, yet it firmly retains the character and charm for which it is internationally famous.
Tourism figures are at an all-time high, with numbers showing that 15 million people attended a cultural event or attraction during 2008 – generating a staggering £800million for the local economy. And with the Condé Nast Traveller Survey 2008 and 2009 voting Liverpool as the UK’s third favourite city to visit – impressively for two consecutive years – there’s never been a better time to plan a trip.
Liverpool City Region is easily accessible whether you’re travelling by plane, rail or road. And once you’ve arrived, excellent transport links make it very easy and economical to find your way round the city centre and visit the other areas of the City Region – the districts of Southport, Wirral Peninsula, St.Helens. Knowsley and Halton. Many of the region’s transport hubs are animated by a wide and diverse public art programme, designed to bring life and soul to the millions of journeys on the network every year.
Air routes into Liverpool John Lennon Airport were expanded in March 2009 with a direct link to KLM’s main international hub in Schiphol, Amsterdam, making it easier than ever before to travel to Liverpool City Region. The new service connects Liverpool to more than 100 destinations on KLM’s own intercontinental network and over 650 worldwide destinations across KLM’s Skyteam partner networks. Three daily flights between Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Schiphol Airport really are opening up Liverpool City Region to a whole new audience of travellers thanks to this increased global connectivity.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport handled 5.4 million passengers in 2008, and the airport is undertaking a £12.4million investment in new terminal facilities for passengers, due for completion by Autumn 2010.
UK regional airline, Eastern Airways, introduced its first scheduled flights from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Aberdeen and Southampton in July 2009. The independent carrier operates three flights each weekday, making travelling to Liverpool City Region from both ends of the country easy and convenient for both business and leisure travellers.
As well being extremely easy to navigate, Liverpool City Region has plenty for visitors to experience and enjoy – with a large number of events and attractions being FREE!
Whether visitors are travelling alone, as a couple, family or group, they can look forward to an excellent choice of hotels to suit all tastes and budgets, ranging from cosy guest houses and big-name brands, to quirky boutiques hotels and country houses.
Impressively, Liverpool has more museums and galleries than any other UK City Region outside of London, and during 2008 its celebratory year as European Capital of Culture, they enjoyed record visitor numbers.
National Museums Liverpool operate seven venues across the City Region – World Museum Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, International Slavery Museum, Merseyside Maritime Museum, National Conservation Centre, Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House – all of which are open seven days a week with FREE admission.
These excellent venues are complemented further by Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Empire Theatre, Royal Court Liverpool, Everyman Theatre, Open Eye Gallery, Playhouse Theatre, Unity Theatre and The Bluecoat – all have their own distinctive character and atmosphere.
A major addition to the city’s cultural offer is the new state-of-the-art £72million Museum of Liverpool, due to open to the public in Spring 2011. Situated on the UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront, it will focus on Liverpool’s worldwide influence in geography, history and culture.
Museum of Liverpool will feature the four main themes of Port City, Creative City, People’s City and Global City will give National Museums Liverpool the opportunity to showcase more than 6,000 objects, many of which have never been displayed before. The new venue is already being estimated to attract more than 750,000 visitors per year. Just a stone’s throw away, the magic of the Mersey Tunnels is captured in a series of unique underground tours.
The city is home to two cathedrals, Anglican and Metropolitan, linked by the appropriately named Hope Street, and Liverpool holds the Guinness Book of Records as Capital of Pop – more Liverpool artistes have had a Number One hit than artistes from any other town or city in the world. Hope Street is also home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko in the stunning surroundings of the Art Deco-styled Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
Architecture is a huge attraction for people visiting the city too. Stunning St George’s Hall, located in Cultural Quarter of the city, is thought by many to be the finest example of neo-classical architecture in Europe, if not the world.
With all this already in place, it’s no wonder that the city embraced its status as European Capital of Culture which resulted in increased visitor figures – great news for the Liverpool City Region as the visitor economy is one of the biggest employers, it generates £1.3billion a year and supports 23,000 jobs.
Whatever you’re looking for – from museums or music to food and fashion – you’ll find it all in Liverpool City Region.
The biggest regeneration project the city has ever seen is the £1billion Liverpool ONE retail and leisure complex. Spanning 42 acres, it features 160 new shops, bars and restaurants, apartments at One Park West, 14-screen Odeon Cinema and new car parks. Hotels from Hilton and Novotel are due to open in November 2009. Liverpool ONE also features the five-acre Chavasse Park, a green oasis in the heart of the city which has re-established the link between the new city centre and the historic Grade I Listed buildings at Albert Dock.
Impressively, within 12 months of opening, Liverpool ONE has scooped 31 awards, and has attracted 22 million shoppers and diners.
Liverpool ONE’s extensive retail offer complements the already well-established diverse shopping choice at Cavern Walks, Metquarter and Bold Street, which feature independent labels, High Street brands and designer names. This huge choice has resulted in Liverpool jumping from 17th place to 5th place in the UK retail listings from Experian.
But there’s a lot more to Liverpool City Region than shopping...! Throughout 2009 there has been a packed events programme. Building on the legacy of a successful 2008, the city strives to become the capital of FREE culture with more than 100 FREE events to enjoy.
As well as a packed events calendar, Liverpool has welcomed a number of permanent new additions to complement the already very strong tourism and leisure offer.
Passengers arriving at the new £19million City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal at Princes Dock alight directly onto the UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront. The terminal is capable of handling the world’s largest liners, and in October 2009 it welcomed the Queen Mary 2, Cunard’s flagship cruise liner carrying 3,800 passengers and crew.
The new £22million Liverpool Canal Link opened in March 2009, and sees narrowboats pass across the Pier Head for the first time in over 100 years. As they travel along the canal and arrive in the city, boaters are mesmerised by the stunning Three Graces – Liver, Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings – which are instantly recognised as three of Liverpool’s most iconic buildings. The new one-and-a-half-mile canal link is expected to generate 200,000 extra visitors annually to the city’s dock system with an additional tourism spend of £1.9million per year, and will give passengers a whole new perspective of the city.
Located opposite the Three Graces at the Pier Head and adjacent to the new Museum of Liverpool is Merseytravel’s new £10.5million Mersey Ferries Terminal, which opened in May 2009. From here, visitors embark on the world-famous ‘Ferry ’Cross The Mersey’, and the new building also features a cafe, shops and extended Beatles Story attraction, including the exciting and interactive Fab4D Experience.
Take the Mersey Ferry across to Woodside Ferry Terminal and you’ll find the U-Boat Story, a £5million attraction telling the story of World War II German submarine U-534. The U-Boat, one of only four remaining in the world, was rescued from an uncertain future by Merseytravel, which owns and operates the ferries. Launched in February 2009, the submarine is now the centrepiece of a stunning exhibition – it has been cross-sectioned so visitors can discover its amazing story through a series of exciting interactive activities, suitable for all the family. At Seacombe is Spaceport, the UK’s leading space-themed visitor attraction.
The St.Helens landscape has changed with the launch of Dream, a 20-metre sculpture by internationally renowned artist Jaume Plensa, which is situated on the site of the former Sutton Manor Colliery and cost £1.8million. Dream was commissioned by local ex-miners and St.Helens Council as part of Channel 4’s Big Art Project, an ambitious public art commissioning initiative supported by Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, and The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity. Weighing more than 370 tonnes, and individually fabricated in 90 unique panels of pre-cast concrete, Dream takes the form of a young girl’s head with her eyes closed.
The BugWorld Experience is a new visitor attraction at Albert Dock, which opened in July 2009. Themed areas from around the world gives visitors an unforgettable experience – to see what the world really looks like through the eyes of bugs.
Sports fans will be in their element as the wider Liverpool City Region boasts excellent sporting events and attractions. Watch a football match or take a stadium tour at one of the city’s two Premier League clubs, Liverpool and Everton. Or if rugby is more your sport, there’s Super League action at St.Helens Rugby League Football Club.
Horse racing fans will thoroughly enjoy Aintree Racecourse and Haydock Park. The highlight of the racing calendar has to be the John Smith’s Grand National, which attracts race-goers from across the globe to witness the world’s greatest steeplechase.
Bring your golf clubs and take advantage of ‘England’s Golf Coast – the finest stretch of Championship Golf in the world’. Home to 19 challenging and picturesque courses, it includes three Royal links courses – Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham & St Annes – which have hosted the Open Championship an impressive 30 times since 1897. The Open came to Royal Liverpool in 2006, Royal Birkdale in 2008.
As well as a thriving tourism industry, Liverpool City Region is also fast becoming known as the ‘Capital of Conferencing’, thanks to a number of new world-class venues for events and conferences.
Among the showpiece developments is the new £164million award-winning Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC Liverpool), situated on the city’s World Heritage Waterfront, adjacent to Albert Dock. ACC Liverpool enjoyed an exceptional first year, hosting many high-profile events, concerts and conferences, including the prestigious MTV Europe Music Awards and the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Awards, and in its first 12 months generated an economic contribution of £200million.
During its first 12 months, ACC Liverpool welcomed 730,000 visitors through its doors. This includes 71,000 delegates across 200 conferences and exhibitions in the BT Convention Centre. The Echo Arena has attracted 665,000 visitors and hosted 100 big name concerts.
Southport is reinventing itself as a ‘Classic Conference Resort’ following a £40million investment programme to create Southport Theatre and Convention Centre, which also features restaurants, bars, a casino and 133-bedroom four-star Ramada Plaza Hotel.
The £11million Floral Pavilion Theatre and Conference Centre in New Brighton has become Wirral Peninsula’s largest and most flexible multi-purpose venue with 800-seat theatre, large conference centre, and panoramic views across the famous River Mersey. The new state-of-the-art venue is playing a major part in the ‘Brand New Brighton’ redevelopment of the town.
Ideally situated between Southport and Liverpool on England’s Golf Coast, Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa invites delegates to enjoy a round of golf or a spot of pampering between meetings. Following an extensive £10million development, the club can accommodate up to 280 people seated theatre-style and features a 62-bedroom hotel, two golf courses (18-hole championship course and new 9-hole par 3 course), driving range, and spa and leisure club. It is also the UK’s only PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) residential golf academy.
During 2008, Southport also welcomed its very first boutique hotel. The Vincent is situated on the town’s mile-long tree-lined Lord Street shopping boulevard, and features a sushi bar, members’ bar, and penthouse complete with roof-top hot-tub – the ultimate in luxury.
No mention of Liverpool would be complete without The Beatles. Hard Days Night is the world’s first Beatles-themed hotel, and each of the 110 bedrooms features a specially produced piece of Beatles artwork. The hotel is in a prime location too, appropriately just minutes from Mathew Street and the world-famous Cavern Club. Just a short walk away is The Beatles Story exhibition at Albert Dock, capturing the history behind the world’s most famous band.
To find out more about the Liverpool City Region log onto www.visitliverpool.com
ENDS
For all further Media Information please contact:
Erica Dillon at The Mersey Partnership
Erica.Dillon@merseyside.org.uk
+44 (0) 151 237 3934
Or visit the press Room at www.merseyside.org.uk
The TMP Media Team can assist with: interviews; images; information; facility visits and itineraries.
Note to Editors:
The Mersey Partnership (TMP) is the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s sub-regional partnership for Merseyside. As a public and private sector membership organisation it is a unique alliance representing more than 500 businesses - including household names such as Littlewoods and Jaguar / Land Rover. TMP members represent manufacturing and trading companies, six local authorities, government agencies, universities, media organisations and professional agencies. In its role as the Sub Regional Partnership TMP also works to represent a broader coalition, including the voluntary and community sector campaigning for the Liverpool City Region as a great place to live, work, invest and visit.
TMP has three main areas of activity:
Economic Development – co-ordinating Merseyside’s economic development activity,
Investment – bringing new business into Merseyside and encouraging growth
Tourism - promoting Merseyside’s tourism assets to increase visitor numbers
