A new report has highlighted the success of tourism campaigns in attracting visitors to Liverpool together with unprecedented customer satisfaction with the Liverpool visitor offering.
The 2012 Liverpool Destination Benchmarking Study showed the impact of TV advertising – particularly the ‘Great 2012’ national TV advertising campaign in which Liverpool was the only City Region to be featured in the main advert.
The study, commissioned jointly by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LCR LEP) and Liverpool City Council, also showed that 11% of all staying visitors said they had been drawn to visit the city by campaigns generated by the City Region’s tourist board, VisitLiverpool.
The study also showed that a feature in a newspaper or magazine influenced 7% of all staying visitors. Whilst not an advert, the tourist board facilitates many journalist visits to the region working in partnership with principal hotels and attractions.
The comprehensive survey of 700 visitors undertaken in summer 2012, provides both a profile of visitors to the city, records visitor satisfaction, and helps identify strengths and weaknesses.
The research shows strong improvements in many areas, resulting in record levels of satisfaction, including accommodation, attractions, restaurants and bars, shopping and signage.
96% of all visitors to Liverpool indicated a positive enjoyment in terms of their “overall visit” and almost all (99%) said they would be recommending the destination to their friends and family.
Other areas of interest showed that almost half of staying visitors came from overseas (49%). The most popular visitors were from Ireland, Spain, Germany, Australia, America, China and France.
Pam Wilsher, Head of Visitor Economy Development at Liverpool City Region LEP, said: “Research such as this is vital in continuing to grow our thriving visitor economy. The opinions and behaviour of tourists to the city help us identify emerging key trends, show us not only what we are doing well but also what we can improve upon. What is really pleasing is that, despite cutbacks, our tourism businesses are clearly committed to delivering a high quality visitor experience.
“We have a really encouraging report, which also shows the city’s marketing is making an impact on visitor numbers, and most importantly, they are enjoying their stay while they are here.”
Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for culture and tourism, Councilllor Wendy Simon, said: “Tourism is a vital boost to the local economy so it’s great that these findings show we’re making a real impact when it comes to attracting visitors and making sure they return to the city time and time again.
“With a series of exciting events planned for 2013 and the fact that Liverpool now welcomes turnaround cruises in the city, it’s more important than ever to make sure we’re reaching a high standard of welcome for the millions of visitors who come here every year.
“Liverpool already has an outstanding reputation for its cultural offer, and it’s a real credit to the local hospitality industry that people clearly enjoy their stay here and recommend the city as a must-visit destination.”