Across Europe and the United States this year, Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership (LCRDP) has been promoting the region’s visitor economy products through a coordinated programme of international activity designed to create real opportunities for partners.
From a large-scale cultural and consumer platform in Hamburg to targeted trade engagement in Los Angeles, the focus has been consistent: to ensure Liverpool City Region is not only seen, but selected, and built into future travel programmes.
As Senior Tourism Manager at VisitLiverpool, James Wood explains:
“There is a clear shift in how we approach international markets. It is not just about raising awareness, it is about creating the conditions for growth. That means putting Liverpool City Region in the right places, with the right people, and making it as easy as possible for the trade to work with us.”
A HIGH-PROFILE PLATFORM IN HAMBURG
VisitLiverpool’s Senior Tourism Manager joins Liverpool City Region delelgation to Hamburg, joined by the best of Liverpool’s new musicians.
As the official guest city of the 837th Hamburg Port Anniversary, one of Europe’s largest maritime festivals, Liverpool City Region, through LCRDP, secured a high-profile platform with an audience of more than one million visitors. It was an opportunity to present a confident, contemporary and commercially compelling offer to both consumers and the international travel trade.
The programme also reflected strong civic leadership, with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority leading the project following an official invitation from the city of Hamburg to the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, for Liverpool to act as guest city in 2026. This created a clear platform to position the city region at an international level, building on long-standing maritime and cultural ties.
This was about making presence count. Anchored in long-standing cultural and maritime ties between Liverpool and Hamburg, and supported by deepening economic relationships, the programme brought together cultural activation and trade engagement in a genuinely joined-up way.
A strong delegation travelled to Hamburg, including Royal Liver Building 360 Tour, Liverpool FC, The Beatles Story, Cavern Club, Mersey Ferries, Bluecoat, Hard Days Night Hotel and Western Approaches. Together, they showcased a visitor offer spanning music, heritage, sport and culture, giving international audiences and buyers a clear and tangible sense of what Liverpool City Region can deliver.
Coordinated by LCRDP, the delegation ensured the destination was presented with clarity, cohesion and commercial intent. James added:
“Hamburg allowed us to bring everything together in one place. You had culture, partners and trade engagement all aligned. That creates a much stronger impression and gives buyers something they can genuinely translate into product.”
Offering a partner perspective as part of the delegation, Mary Cloake, CEO at Bluecoat, Liverpool’s contemporary arts centre and a key part of the city’s cultural landscape, reflects on the value of taking part in the programme:
“For us, Hamburg was an incredibly valuable first opportunity to be part of an international programme with LCRDP. Being there alongside other Liverpool organisations gave real strength to how the city region was presented. It opened up conversations with new audiences and gave us a much clearer sense of the opportunities in this market.”
Live performances from Liverpool bands added an additional layer of authenticity, helping to bring the city region’s identity to life in a way that connected immediately with audiences.
TARGETING DEMAND IN LOS ANGELES
VisitLiverpool’s Seniot Tourism Manager joins Liverpool City Region delelgation Los Angeles, Joned by Visit Britain and VisitEngalnd CEO, Patricia Yates.
While Hamburg provided a broad, high-visibility platform, activity in Los Angeles focused firmly on targeted trade engagement within one of Liverpool City Region’s most valuable inbound markets.
As part of the UK Government’s GTLA programme, delivered in partnership with VisitBritain, LCRDP represented the city region within a national delegation, engaging directly with tour operators, media and buyers who influence travel decisions at scale, with a clear objective to grow inbound business from the United States into the UK and Liverpool City Region. The programme also brought together senior representatives from across the UK, including Culture Liverpool Director Claire McColgan, reinforcing the strength of Liverpool’s cultural and tourism offer.
LCRDP was represented on the ground by James Wood, who was joined by Annie Brown, General Manager of The Municipal Hotel. Together, they presented a compelling, joined-up view of the destination, combining strategic destination insight with a high-quality accommodation offer, helping to bring Liverpool City Region’s visitor experience to life for international buyers. This proved a powerful combination in showcasing the destination, including one of Liverpool’s standout five-star city centre hotels.
Through a programme of one-to-one meetings and presentations, including engagement with 23 tour operators and media, Liverpool City Region was positioned clearly within international itineraries, supported by a strong focus on core themes including music, sport, culture and food.
Future developments and major events, including the Tour de France Grand Départ, Liverpool Biennial, Four Queens and new Beatles-related film releases, were highlighted to give partners compelling reasons to plan ahead. Accessibility, including routes via Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the city’s cruise terminal, alongside the ability to experience city, coastline and countryside within a 90-minute journey, formed a key part of the proposition. James explained:
“In a market like the US, clarity is everything. Buyers need to understand quickly what makes Liverpool different, how it fits into their programmes and why it will resonate with their customers. Our role is to make that a straightforward decision.”
Cultural activity remained an important part of the programme, with performances from Liverpool bands, including Red Rum Club, coordinated through Liverpool’s UNESCO City of Music programme, while the Liverpool Film Office showreel helped reinforce the region’s growing reputation as a centre for film and television production.
ONE APPROACH, ACROSS MARKETS
While distinct in delivery, activity in Hamburg and Los Angeles forms part of a single, coordinated approach led by LCRDP, combining cultural visibility with targeted trade engagement to drive long-term growth.
Hamburg provided scale, energy and public connection, helping to reinforce Liverpool’s global identity and appeal. Los Angeles provided depth, allowing for direct engagement with buyers and the development of relationships that will influence future bookings. James said:
“The strength of this approach is that each piece of activity plays a different role. Hamburg builds profile and connection, LA turns that into conversations and commercial opportunity. When those elements work together, you start to see real momentum.”
BUILDING MOMENTUM, TOGETHER
These recent activities represent important steps within a wider international programme designed to raise Liverpool City Region’s profile in priority markets and create tangible opportunities for partners across the visitor economy.
The focus now is on maintaining that momentum, continuing conversations, converting interest into bookings and ensuring Liverpool remains front of mind for international buyers.
For partners, the opportunity is clear. This is not about one-off activity; it is about being part of a coordinated approach that opens access to international markets, builds visibility in the right places and creates long-term commercial potential.
And it brings us back to the original challenge: how do you turn visibility into something that delivers real value?
Across Hamburg and Los Angeles, Liverpool City Region has shown that with the right platforms, the right partnerships and a clear strategic focus, visibility becomes momentum, and momentum becomes opportunity.
For more information on VisitLiverpool’s travel trade initiatives, follow their dedicated LinkedIn account HERE.