A ground-breaking partnership for the Liverpool City Region’s tourism sector

Last updated:May 9, 2024

In a new era for the visitor destination sector, the Liverpool City Region’s six councils and the Combined Authority are joining forces in a pioneering approach to promote the region’s unique cultural offering.

This ground-breaking partnership will be chaired by Tony Hall CBE, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, and will position the region as one of Europe’s premier events capitals, seeking to maximize economic benefit across the city region through its global visitor appeal.

Lord Hall, former Director General of the BBC and former Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, brings a wealth of experience in leading major cultural institutions and community organisations, combined with his personal roots and passion for the region and culture. He is currently chairman of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, a trustee of the National Trust, the Natural History Museum and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra.

Lord Hall will be assisted by a 15-strong team of national and regional board members bringing expertise from the worlds of sport, film, music, hospitality, retail and leisure. All will work together to lead, advise, influence and defend the Liverpool City Region the destination to visit, invest and organize major events. The new board will now begin shaping a five-year destination management plan that will be launched later this year.

Although the name has not yet been officially announced, the new body will initially be known as the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and will work to boost the visitor economy of the city region, which has around 51,000 people to give.

Approximately 60 million people flock to the area every year to enjoy its cultural, musical and sporting attractions. Earlier this year, Time-out magazine recognized the area’s strengths and named Liverpool the seventh best city in the world, higher than Tokyo, Rome and Paris.

The announcement comes a year after Liverpool received worldwide praise for hosting the most successful Eurovision Song Contest ever. As the host city, music fans and residents on behalf of Ukraine were able to enjoy and participate in an inclusive cultural program that united people through music.

The new tourism partnership is supported by all local authorities in the city region and will be delivered in partnership by staff from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Liverpool City Council.

As a nationally recognized official body, the partnership will provide strong leadership and management of the region’s visitor economy and work with the public and private sectors.

Due to the importance of the visitor economy and its impact on the overall economic success of the Liverpool City Region, board members will support the growth of the visitor economy sector; influence policy; working to stimulate overall economic growth, productivity and competitiveness; and support the Liverpool City Region in its overarching goal for inclusive growth and sustainability.

Find out more about LVEP and its board members on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority website.

More about the LVEP board members

The members of the LVEP board are:

Chair: Lord Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead, CBE.

Retail (and vice chairman): Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE.

Accommodation: Howard Lewis, Managing Director of Novotel Paddington Village Liverpool.

Business events: Faye Dyer, Managing Director of the Arena and Conference Center Liverpool Group.

Major attraction: Rachel Scott, Head of Marketing at Knowsley Estate.

Major attraction: Alan Adams, Managing Director, Southport Flower Show/Victoria Park Events.

Culinary arts: Paul Askew, Managing Director and Head Chef, Patron Art School.

Night economy: John Hughes, Chairman Liverpool Night Life CIC.

Culture: Madeline Henneghan, co-director, Writing on the Wall.

Music: Eunice Obianagha, Head of Diversity, British Music.

Television and film: Barrington Paul Robinson, Creative Producer, Dancing Ledge Productions Limited.

Sport: Clare Briegal, former Managing Director of World Netball.

Liverpool City Council: Cllr Harry Doyle, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Liverpool City Council.

Sefton Destination Management Organization: Peter Hampson, Chairman of Marketing Southport.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority: Cllr Kate Groucutt, Deputy Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Growth and Third Sector.

Young professionals: Rachael Stevens, Chair of the Liverpool City Region Future Impact Board.

Response

Chairman of the LVEP Board, Lord Hall, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to return to my roots and play a part in promoting this incredible region, which has so much to offer visitors.

“I am proud and honored to lead a very high-level board that represents the diversity of the sector and the city region. I can’t wait to get to know them and work together to bring even more people to this beautiful city and region.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“The Liverpool City Region is a national and international destination par excellence, renowned for its unbeatable culture, music, sport, hospitality and much, much more.

“In the past year alone, we have completely transformed an event as iconic as the Eurovision Song Contest – welcoming golf’s global superstars to the 151^st edition of The Open at Hoylake. That’s in addition to the Grand National, two Premier League football teams and the country’s most successful Super League team that call our region home.

“But we are not here to rest on our laurels and this is all about ambition; we want to become increasingly stronger and partnership is the key. That’s why I’ve pledged to double support for culture to 2 percent of our budget, to build on our achievements. It is thanks to our recent success that we have been able to attract someone of Tony’s caliber to drive this work forward in the coming years. We’re already the cultural capital of Britain, but beware, we’re just getting started!”

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councilor Liam Robinson, said:

“This new way of working together is all about unleashing the full potential of the city region – using all our skills, innovation and creativity to make a real, tangible difference.

“We have seen Liverpool excel when it comes to events and we are one of the best cities around when it comes to promoting ourselves, so it makes sense to bring the whole city region together in a creative union, with the common aim to inspire residents, stimulate the local economy and attract visitors.

“By creating a one-door-door approach – we will become more accessible and visible and will stand out as a British destination with loads to shout about – from incredible tourist attractions, a thriving film sector to leading the way in gaming and science sectors, not to mention the rich heritage that runs through each of the six boroughs.

“We will now have all the pieces we need in one place to take advantage of some of the most exciting opportunities available and cement the cultural powerhouse status of the Liverpool City Region.”

Cllr Kate Groucutt (St Helens Borough Council), LVEP Board Member and Deputy Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Growth and Third Sector for 2023/24, said:

“This new approach is a hugely exciting opportunity for us to work together to promote our city region and boost our vitally important tourism sector.

“We are rightly known for the warmth of our welcome and the wealth of what we have to offer – across sports, music, arts, nightlife and much more. By working together we can attract even more people to visit and showcase our fantastic city region.”

VisitBritain/VisitEngland CEO, Patricia Yates, said:

“The Liverpool City Region was one of the first LVEPs to be accredited by VisitEngland and has had a truly successful year, with the Eurovision Song Contest and golf to name just a few highlights putting the global spotlight on this part of England to shine. I would like to extend our welcome and congratulations to the Liverpool City Region Local Visitor Economy Partnership and its new chairman Lord Hall.

“This timely announcement spotlights the economic importance of the sector and the fantastic work being done with stakeholders across the region to grow the visitor economy. We look forward to continuing to work with the Liverpool City Region Local Visitor Economy Partnership and its board, building on the region’s success and ensuring Liverpool remains a top destination for both domestic and international travel now and for years to come visitors.”