Two million visitors in just four months!

Capital of Culture: Two million visitors in just four months

Apr 12 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

THE number of visitors to Liverpool’s cultural attractions is breaking all records as more than two million people have come to the city since the start of 2008.

Figures are almost double what the Culture Company predicted for the first quarter of Capital of Culture year.

Attendance figures for the city’s attractions are on average 30% higher than they were this time last year – twice the 10% to 15% that culture bosses had estimated. “It’s incredible, I can’t believe it,” Culture Company director Kris Donaldson told the Daily Post.

“It is just amazing to see so many people here, it is completely beyond our expectations.

“We are already seeing the change of perceptions of the city, nationally and internationally and lots of organisations and attractions are getting the benefit.

“It is already starting to pay dividends.

“It really sets the stage for the rest of the year.”

Deputy chairman Phil Redmond agreed, saying the figures were “terrific news”.

“It shows people are engaging in 2008. People almost have no excuse not to try something new.”

Christoph Grunenberg, director of Tate Liverpool, said: “The ‘Capital of Culture effect’ is already being felt – in the first three months of 08, we’ve seen a 21% visitor increase on the previous year.

“The Turner Prize 2007 took us into the year on a high and will continue throughout the year with our 20th birthday celebrations, the exhibition of work by Gustav Klimt and the Liverpool Biennial. The Tate collection display is as popular as ever, with key masterpieces, such as Rodin’s The Kiss, capturing the imagination. We’re delighted to see so many visitors are returning time and again to enjoy what we have to offer.”

Director of The Beatles Story Jerry Goldman, which has had 36% more visitors through its doors than last year, said: “We wholeheartedly support Liverpool’s Capital of Culture status and we are delighted that such an impressive number of people have chosen to experience a cultural event in the city. Liverpool has offered a fantastic welcome to its many visitors – a welcome that is unique in the entire UK.”

Millicent Jones, executive director of the Philharmonic Hall, said: “We are delighted with 2008 so far, there’s a great buzz around the city. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and the RLPO are definitely experiencing an ‘08 factor’ with audiences up 21% from this time last year.”

Joe Edge, director of the Albert Dock Company which has attracted 120,000 extra visitors so far this year, said: “The Albert Dock Company is delighted with the increasing number of visitors coming to enjoy what this special site has to offer, and this will only get better as the Culture year continues alongside the opening of the new Liverpool One development.

“Many of the bars, restaurants and tourist destinations at the Dock have commented on increased customer numbers and as the Albert Dock turns 20 next month, we hope to see even more people visit what is Merseyside’s most popular tourist attraction.”

Iain Christie, speaking for Royal Court Liverpool, which has had nearly 45,000 more visitors than this time last year, a 57% rise, said: “We are delighted to show such a steep rise in attendance figures compared to this time last year.

“This spring we have been able to attract writers of the calibre of Willy Russell and Alan Bleasdale as well as the astonishing home grown success Brick up The Mersey Tunnels.

“We have also been investing a lot in the building and the audiences seem to like what we are doing. We all hope to build on this for the rest of the year and entertain as many people as possible for the rest of 2008.”

International media coverage of the 2008 celebrations have been well received. Last week, the Wall Street Journal declared Liverpool “the new Barcelona” in a story flagged up on its front page.

vickyanderson

:handclap:

Ah Kev I thought you meant to this site well they will never know what they missed.

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Originally Posted by sweetcheeks

Ah Kev I thought you meant to this site well they will never know what they missed.

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You would be talking about at least 4 million hits to Yo! in 4 months :PDT11

and your point is your worth it :)

amazing...I wonder how many bus loads that is?! :unibrow:

must admit I'm noticing more people walking around with tourist maps than I ever used to and most have British accents.
as far as the financial impact it has on the city it's just what the doctor ordered. :002:

can't believe the new Albert Dock is approaching it's 20th anniv. doesn't time fly!

I was in town today and there were loads of people out with cameras taking pics just like me. It was hail stoning and raining, that didnt stop them.

But who are the beneficiaries? How does some poor teenager, struggling in a dead end job, benefit from any of those visitors? He/she doesn't.

This is the same kind of stuff we hear on the news often "Well this is good for the economy" the unspoken presumption is that what's good for the "economy" is the same as being good for "the people" it isnt.

For the most part the City is run by self-important administrators, who are focused on commerce too much. Even now, more and more old pubs are being demolished, Kensington is getting ripped apart and rebuilt, all of this has been going on for decades and we all know it sucks, yet it still goes on.

I just came back from Rome, now that is culture, the city has been to all intents and purposes, preserved to a great extent for millenia, why cant Liverpool simply STOP destroying old buildings and old streest and old communities?

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Originally Posted by Barratie

But who are the beneficiaries? How does some poor teenager, struggling in a dead end job, benefit from any of those visitors? He/she doesn't.

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Should all those visitors be stopped from coming then?

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For the most part the City is run by self-important administrators, who are focused on commerce too much.

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That is so. The Kings Dock. The local councillor wanted the keep the water spaces and have a vibrant community of apartments, and normal leisure activities around the place with the odd hotel here and there. What do we get. Big business wanted a large money raking attraction that will bus masses of people in and out. They got it. A soulless arena. We do need an arena - not in that place though. A prime case of big business having precedence over the people.

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I just came back from Rome, now that is culture, the city has been to all intents and purposes, preserved to a great extent for millenia, why cant Liverpool simply STOP destroying old buildings and old streest and old communities?

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You got that generally right!

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Originally Posted by Waterways

Should all those visitors be stopped from coming then?



That is so. The Kings Dock. The local councillor wanted the keep the water spaces and have a vibrant community of apartments, and normal leisure activities around the place with the odd hotel here and there. What do we get. Big business wanted a large money raking attraction that will bus masses of people in and out. They got it. A soulless arena. We do need an arena - not in that place though. A prime case of big business having precedence over the people.



You got that generally right!

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You asked "Should all those visitors be stopped from coming then?" and that's an interesting question. Do you really want to live in a City that is always inundated with tourists? Rome was stunning, but the streets were filled with dodgy food outlets, cruddy bars etc simply because it is easy to offer bad service and quality when you have tourists as the main source of income.

I would argue that we DONT want too many, for this reason.

Politicians and "investors" are always mouthing off about how this or that is "good for the city" or "good for our economy" etc; what they usually actually mean is good for themselves in some way.

What is good for the city, any city, is to be found by asking it's population what they want to see, we never have this opportunity.

I have several lovely books "A pub on every corner" etc (I'm still trying to find a copy of "It all came tumbling down" any ideas appreciated) that describe the destruction of the city's true heritage, its streets, buildings etc and this is still going on today, right now.

Why is it good for the population for Liverpool to house the largest retail center in the EU (if I have my facts straight) ?

I live in Birmingham just now, just outside of here is an outdoor museum called "The Black Country Museum" we visited it recently and I was saddened.

The museum is superb, entire streets still as they were in the 30's and earlier, even a pub that still operates. The streets and shops were just like I recall as a kid in Liverpool.

Kid's in Liverpool now, born in the 80's or later, will have almost no idea how lovely this was, little shops, owned by people who cared, colorful windowframes, each shop distinctive.

I highly recommend this museum, and I have nothing but contempt for those in authority who choose to destroy such character, we dont need tourists in droves, we need to value our past and preserve rather than replace.

There is no doubt in my mind that tourism does benefit the people of the city in the long run. The more tourists you have the more money is then created for the council to spend locally on improving facilities and creating more opportunities. People want to see immediate improvements but it just doesn't work like that. It takes time for improvements to be made. It's a long and drawn out process, but we all benefit in the end if we make the effort to.