Liverpool City Region’s Visitor Economy now supports almost 46,000 jobs and generates income in excess of £3.4bn, according to new official figures published today. (15 July, 2013)
The destination now attracts more than 52m Day Visitors annually, and the number of Staying Visitors has risen to more than 4.6m.
Findings are contained in the latest independent research commissioned by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Pam Wilsher, Head of Visitor Economy Development at the LEP – the region’s Destination Management Organisation – said: “Our Visitor Economy is growing from strength to strength. These figures underline the appeal and popularity of our destination offer as well as the enormous effort and investment undertaken by all of those who work in the sector to make it the success it is.”
Headline City Region-wide figures in the new report show:
6% increase in tourism supported jobs from 43,316 in 2011 to 45,890 in 2012 – net job creation gain of 2,574 jobs in just one year
4% increase in tourism revenues from £3.267bn in 2011 to £3.412bn in 2012
3% increase in Day Visitors from 50.51m in 2011 to 52.13m in 2012
3% increase in Staying Visitors from 4.48m in 2011 to 4.63m in 2012
And for Liverpool alone:
8% increase in tourism supported jobs from 27,637 in 2011 to 29,833 in 2012 – net job creation gain of 2,196 jobs in just one year
6% increase in tourism revenues from £2.117bn in 2011 to £2.251bn in 2012
6% increase in Day Visitors from 28.5m in 2011 to 30.1m in 2012
6% increase in Staying Visitors from 1.98m in 2011 to 2.1m in 2012
“It’s an impressive performance and with further significant developments including new hotels, the new Exhibition Centre at ACC Liverpool, the return of The Open Championship to Wirral next year and a host of other major events across the City Region, we have the foundations for further growth,” added Pam Wilsher.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said: “In these tough economic times I’m delighted that our tourism industry is having a hugely positive impact on the job market.
“These figures are extremely encouraging and show how the city is now regarded as one of the must-visit destinations, not only in the UK but from across the world.
“It isn’t surprising that our visitor figures increase year on year – we’ve so much to offer when it comes to sights and attractions, and on top of this we are a city renowned for our diverse events programme, attracting crowds of hundreds of thousands each year.
“Real credit should be given to those who work in Liverpool’s tourism industry, as it’s their dedication and warm welcome which attracts people and keeps them coming back year on year.”
Additional Destination Highlights:
Liverpool in 2012 is the 5th most popular destination for international visitors with 550,000 staying visits up from 545,000 in 2011 (International Passenger Survey)
Liverpool in 2012 is the 8th most popular destination for all domestic visitors (1.47m overnight visits). It is 9th for pure holiday trips (646,000) and 9th for business tourism (202,000).
The figures are published by the STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) model which is used throughout the UK tourism industry to gather visitor data.