Footfall in Liverpool city centre increased over the summer months, but spend in shops and hotels was down on last year, according to recent data. Tony McDonough reports.

BID boss Bill Addy says dip in spend due to lack of major events

Liverpool city centre saw a 6.4% increase in footfall in the period June-August this year, compared to 2023, but a -0.1% drop in spend in its shops, restaurants and hotels.

In June there were 8,202,167 visitors to Liverpool city centre, and on July 27 there were 335,246 visitors to the city centre on one single day.

In August, tragic events in Southport and the disorder that followed across major UK towns and cities had an adverse effect on visitor numbers, but had recovered to 1.6% by the end of the month.

Despite this though, during the same period, Liverpool saw a marked drop in spend. Tourism spend was particularly low, down by -3.5% on the previous year. This is according to data from Beauclair, compiled and shared by Liverpool BID Company.

The data reflects a 4.1% increase in footfall over the year compared to 2023, and a 2.3% increase on the year to date compared with last year. The figure is down 3.3% compared with 2019.

In the year to date, however, Liverpool is outperforming the national average which is down -4.0%.

Liverpool BID Company CEO, Bill Addy, says the dip in spend is most likely down to a lack of major sports and cultural events in the city.

He said: “We’re seeing a good summer, in terms of bucking a national trend where we’ve seen different sectors grow.

“The boost to food and drink is something we see in the footfall data where we see somewhere like Bold Street record an increase in footfall over the summer as it really becomes a destination for food and drink for locals and visitors alike.

“The impact of the riots is really there to see as there’s a huge drop in footfall that week as confidence is hit, but it comes back again stronger.”

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2023 saw major events like The Open and Eurovision on summer tourism visits, which helped to boost spend in the city centre.

A lack of major international events this year was reflected in the city’s hotel occupancy rates, which were down by -4.6% to 78%.

Bill added: “What we do need to have a conversation about is Liverpool competing for these major events that attract people from all over the world and thinking about how we make sure our city centre businesses can rely on that year in and year out.

“It’s about scale, and it’s about having these huge activities, like The Open, like Eurovision, that put the city on the map. Tourism is a major industry in this city employing thousands of people, but its impact is felt across many other sectors.”

Liverpool operates an Accommodation BID (ABID), established in 2023 and managed by the city hotels and serviced accommodation providers and Liverpool BID Company.

As part of the ABID, hotels above a rateable value pay a levy, contributing to a subvention fund to help the city attract major events which boost hotel stays. This has included Eurovision and the Labour Party Conference.

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