Liverpool City Region has shone brightly on the national and international stage in the past year celebrating our world‑class attractions, vibrant food scene, and famously warm welcome. Our city region’s proud reputation as a must‑visit destination continues to grow, with accolades spanning culture, cuisine, hospitality and innovation.

Our Recent Accolades

• Top Major UK City for Tourist Offer: Liverpool was named the UK’s leading major city for tourism offerings by The Telegraph in 2026.
• One of the UK’s Best & Friendliest Cities: Voted among both the best and friendliest UK cities by Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2025.
• Top Foodie City in the UK: Crowned the UK’s Top Foodie City by Time Out in 2025, recognising the bold flavours, creativity, and culinary talent that define our thriving food scene.
• Third Best Destination in the UK: Recognised as the 3rd Best Destination in Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best Travellers’ Choice Awards 2026, highlighting Liverpool’s continued appeal to visitors from across the world.

Achievements We’re Proud to Share

• The UK’s Leading Film & TV Hub Outside London: Liverpool City Region continues to stand as the busiest and most significant filming location outside the capital—fuelled by its unique streetscapes, creative talent and world‑class production support.
• Purple Flag Status, Now in Our 16th Year: Liverpool is proud to have retained its prestigious Purple Flag accreditation for the 16th consecutive year—a national mark of excellence awarded to places that provide a safe, vibrant and well‑managed evening and night‑time experience. This accreditation celebrates destinations that excel in safety, cleanliness, diverse entertainment and high‑quality hospitality.
• Coach‑Friendly City Status Retained: For the second consecutive year, we have been given coach-friendly status in recognition of our commitment to delivering a smooth, accommodating and welcoming experience for group travel and coach visitors.

LCRDP’s marketing activity has delivered regional, national and international visibility. High‑performing campaigns with partners such as Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway have driven millions of digital impressions, thousands of new visitors and powerful engagement from key markets.

VisitLiverpool’s channels continue to grow as the region’s culture, coastline, music, attractions and events reach wider, more diverse audiences than ever before.

Alongside this, major national programmes — from VisitEngland’s Northwest coastal campaign to the VisitBritain Gateway Fund — have positioned the region as a gateway for both domestic and inbound travellers.

Highlights include:

Spring It On: Spring it On, with London Northwestern Railway delivered the campaign to a targeted audience resulting in millions of online impressions, positioning Liverpool as the gateway to the wider region.

Get Together This Summer: Get Together This Summer, with Avanti West Coast, generated hundreds of bookings and a strong, trackable return on advertising spend.

Christmas Campaign: The Christmas campaign attracted visitors to the region for markets, shopping and festive entertainment.

VistEngland Northwest Coastal Campaign - VisitEngland’s first consumer campaign in four years with a cash investment of £400k. The campaign is in response to the decline in demand in the domestic market for seaside and coastal breaks, and a direct action to specifically support Southport’s recovery following the tragic event in 2024. The campaign showcases the diversity of the Northwest coastal towns of Southport, Wirral, Cumbria, and Lancashire. The target audience is primarily families with young children and the secondary audience is pre-nesters. The campaign's objective is to book an overnight trip to a Northwest seaside town within the spring 2026 shoulder season (March-June 2026). Tripadvisor are the media partner who has match-funded the campaign. The campaign launched 16th February and will run until June 2026.

Southport Elegantly Eccentric - LCRDP is playing a critical role in the delivery of Southport’s Elegantly Eccentric programme by amplifying communications across VisitLiverpool and Culture Liverpool channels to promote the year-long event programme. Lightport was the first event in the series, launching with a press preview on 13th February, then running from 14–16 February. Feedback from residents, businesses and visitors has been overwhelmingly positive, with the trail praised for bringing vibrancy to the town centre and providing a welcome lift during the winter period. Local businesses played an important role by extending opening hours and supporting the promotion of the event, and Sefton Council has highlighted Lightport as a strong example of how cultural investment is benefiting the local economy. Looking ahead, the events calendar includes Cristal Palace in April, featuring a 15 metre flying chandelier and open air ballroom experience; and a Big Top Festival in May showcasing world-class modern circus. Over summer, Southport’s flagship events — the Flower Show, Air Show, Food and Drink Festival and British Musical Fireworks Championships — return with renewed ambition, followed by Books Alive! in October, a family-focused literature festival turning the town into a “living storybook.”

VisitBritain Gateway Fund -  The LCRDP team were successful (and delighted) in securing funding to target a specific inbound route for French visitors. Operated by easyJet, the eligible route is Paris to Liverpool (LJLA). Marketing activity is scheduled to be delivered from March 26 to increase the number of inbound visitors to the region and wider Northwest. LCRDP will be working alongside Go North Wales, Marketing Chester and Cheshire, and Visit Cumbria.

Social media engagement across channels for Southport and Wirral, for whom we are providing digital support, and for VisitLiverpool, resulted in a sizable increase in our digital footprint with an increased number of impressions and new followers across all platforms.  Website visits continue to build as we share creative content highlighting the breadth of activity, the venues, attractions and events across the region.

Research is an essential part of business strategy, providing evidence and knowledge to inform growth.

Business events have been a standout success. Liverpool Convention Bureau secured high‑value bids, hosted impactful events and continued to grow the award‑winning Club Liverpool ambassador programme.

These wins translate into millions in economic impact, global visibility and confidence that our region can host the world’s most significant scientific, cultural and professional gatherings.

Working closely with our partners at ACC Liverpool, soon to be Liverpool Experience Campus, we have bid for and secured key major events including business tourism conferences.

ACC Liverpool’s dedicated team work tirelessly with us to attract a broad range of large-scale, high-profile events by creating an adaptable offering and bespoke packages. In a true definition of partnership, the team also joins us as we represent the region at domestic and international trade events, showcasing the standout, high-capacity venue, that can be adapted for all manner of events.

The Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID) is designed to support the sector. The ABID directs investment from the levy on paid accommodation with real precision and its subvention fund is used strategically to attract major conferences, exhibitions and business events through this financial support mechanism which helps attract audiences and fill rooms.

Liverpool Convention Bureau delivered a year of strong performance and global engagement.

• Represented the region at major trade events including IMEX Frankfurt and IBTM Barcelona as partners with VisitBritain as well as taking city region partners to exhibit at The Meetings Show and Confex.
• Hosted high‑value site visits resulting in significant event wins, such as the World Para Culture Event 2027 and PATRAM 2028.
• Achieved major bidding success, with 17 bids submitted representing 22,600 delegates and £44m in economic impact.

Expanded the Club Liverpool ambassador programme to 324 members an increase of 9% in the past year.

The Partnership’s work with international operators has created new travel trade relationships, new itineraries and new markets. FAM trips, global roadshows and education sessions across Europe, America and Asia have strengthened the region’s presence on the world stage and built long‑term pathways for inbound tourism growth.

Gaining LVEP (Local Visitor Economy Partnership) status has created opportunities for us to work closely with VisitBritain on these projects to share resources and create cost effective ways of working to deliver growth.

Highlights include:

• Delivered trade activity across key markets, including Destination Britain Americas, Spain Roadshow, Nordics Workshop and World Travel Market
• Hosted educational visits from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and India
• Progressed planning for the Hamburg Port Festival
• Launched new digital trade tools, including Liverpool City Region Groups Guide
• Developed new itineraries in partnership with operators to drive volume business, including multi-night itineraries with Australia’s Flight Centre, Spain’s Special Tours and India’s Panache Travel
• Retained our Coach Friendly status for the second year, meaning we can look forward to an influx of groups keen to immerse themselves in what the region has to offer for day trippers and overnight visitors. As the only Northern city, and the largest on outside of London, to have achieved the standard, we ensure our dedicated parking and welcome arrangements are in place and regularly reviewed to attract visitors via our travel trade channels

LCRDP has taken a leading role in sustainability and accessibility. With a rise of 10 places in the Global Destination Sustainability Index and regionwide efforts to improve accessible experiences, the Partnership is ensuring growth benefits people, place and community. Workshops, action plans and university partnerships are shaping a more inclusive visitor offer — one that reflects the region’s values.

Highlights include:

Sustainability & Accessibility

We advanced responsible tourism across the region.

• Published a new Sustainable Tourism Action Plan
• Developed the Visitor Economy Accessibility Action Plan
• Delivered workshops in partnership with Sociability, AccessAble and Accessible UK
• Supported research with universities on accessibility and sector innovation
• Rose 10 places in the Global Destination Sustainability Index, now 51st globally and 3rd in England

To read our action plans, find out more and get involved with sustainability and accessibility initiatives, visit the dedicated section on the website HERE.

Culture and events sit at the heart of Liverpool City Region’s global identity. Over the past year, the Partnership has supported the development of the region’s Major Events and refreshed the cultural framework.

Regional programme highlights in 2026 include:

• Southport 2026: Elegantly Eccentric — a year‑long programme of culture and spectacle.
• Made in Halton: Culture 26, combining community‑led arts initiatives and a cultural programme which celebrates the very best of what the borough has to offer to residents and visitors.
• Rocket: All Aboard, a dynamic, multi-year programme (2029–2030) celebrating 200 years since the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway.
• Birkenhead Park’s bid for World Heritage Status shortlisted by UNESCO as the pioneering people’s park.
• 2027 Tour de France Stage Two will conclude in the region
• Hosting of five EURO 2028 matches will take place at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
• A new, inclusive event focusing on disability arts and para-sports coming to the Liverpool City Region waterfront in 2027, showcasing disabled and neurodivergent artists alongside international athletes.

Work to improve the visitor experience has taken major steps forward, from the relocation of the Tourist Information Centre and the introduction of new training programmes and the forthcoming development of the regionwide Visitor Pass. These improvements help ensure every visitor receives a consistent, high‑quality and memorable welcome.

A notable thanks to the guest relations team at Liverpool ONE for their continued support in providing a visitor welcome to Network Rail who helped while we were between homes in providing space within Liverpool Lime Street. We are looking forward to partnering with Merseytravel to extend our tourist information presence across LCR and more on this is to follow.

Highlights include:

• Confirmed the ferry terminal as the long-term home for the Tourist Information Visitor Welcome Centre, using a temporary location on the Pier Head for visitors in the interim.
• Commenced the development of a regionwide welcome training programme and digital tools to strengthen visitor engagement, including the trial of a digital avatar, ‘Jimmy’ who will support visitor information services across the region.
• Progressed work on the regionwide Visitor Pass.

To find out more about these valuable services as they develop, please sign-up for the LCRDP newsletter HERE.

The Liverpool City Region visitor economy continues to grow, and now is the ideal time to elevate your visibility, reach new audiences and connect with key decision‑makers. Explore our full range of impactful marketing and promotional opportunities HERE.

British Travel Trade Show

Liverpool Convention Bureau has a busy programme of tradeshow attendance planned to generate new event enquiries and reinforce our positioning among national and global corporate and association buyers.

Trade Shows

High visibility presence at IMEX Frankfurt and The Meetings Show later in the spring with colleagues from VisitBritain and VisitEngland providing a powerful platform to create access to thousands of industry professionals.

The Meetings Show is the premier international event for business events buyers. Meet key domestic and international parties from corporate, agency, association, charity and government departments.

• Stand partner packages from £4,850 + VAT (limited availability so please contact us now if you are interested)
• Premier partner package: £10,000 + VAT

CHS (Corporate Hospitality Show)

Join us on 30 September at the AO Arena in Manchester as CHS, the key national  trade show for the entire events industry.  Join Liverpool Convention Bureau on the destination stand to engage with 500+ domestic and international event professionals across the 250+ stands for a packed day of meetings from £2,500 + VAT. New for this year is a series of fringe events to encourage more visitors to the leading show for the industry.  For our venues, attractions and event organisers this new look show should be a consideration for the autumn calendar.

To find out more about joining us as we take prominent stands at these and other key shows across the year, email partnerships@liverpoolcityregionddp.com.

Event Planners Guide

The destination venue guide for the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) market is an ideal place to showcase your venue or service to these buyers. For 2027 the popular guide will be going digital first with full marketing campaign support for advertisers. To secure a place in  contact: partnerships@liverpoolcityregionddp.com

Club Liverpool

Club Liverpool provides an exciting opportunity to get involved in building business tourism. Members range from academics to industry specialists who play a vital role in championing Liverpool City Region to secure high value events for the region.

Joining is a fantastic opportunity to raise your personal profile, network and collaborate with professionals from across the region.  We curate a series of networking events for our ambassadors, providing learning and development opportunities as we work together to bring conferences, exhibitions and symposiums to the LCR. The highly experienced Liverpool Convention Bureau team create the bids and undertake the necessary steps to attract and accommodate the conference organisers using their systems and procedures to build strong partnerships.

Become a member and join 324 others who are enjoying the benefits of the free Club Liverpool. Partnerships@liverpoolcityregiondp.com

Fam visits

Destination familiarisation visits provide an opportunity for our guests to experience first-hand the range of corporate facilities, the hospitality, varied range of attractions and warmth of welcome we are recognised for.  Discuss having your business included in our itineraries as we broaden our offering to prospects both nationally and internally.

Alongside travel trade and convention bureau activities, there are huge opportunities to let leisure visitors know about your restaurant/bar, attraction or accommodation through VisitLiverpool social media channels and advertising in our destination guide or online opportunities.

In the last year, VisitLiverpool spring, summer, and Christmas campaigns delivered over two million Google Display impressions and one million Meta impressions as we told the Liverpool City Region story alongside travel partners Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway, who brought visitors to the city region from Milton Keynes, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and London in 2025.

Working with travel marketing platform Sojern, we use the campaign budget to drive trackable conversions. Sojern places ads across key booking platforms to encourage reservations and provides end‑to‑end tracking, from the point of booking through to sale, helping us assess ROI and evaluate campaign performance.

Building on this success, we are planning seasonal destination campaigns in 2026/2027 targeting national and international visitors, promoting everything the City Region has to offer.

To get involved with advertising, sponsorship and promotional opportunities in this year’s spring, summer, River of Light and Christmas campaigns contact: info@liverpoolcityregiondp.com

Become a Sponsor

With major initiatives launching across the year ahead, from cultural programmes to high-profile events, there will be a range of opportunities for partners to collaborate, co-create and shape the region’s visitor economy.

Guides, such as the City Region Visitor Guide for leisure tourists, provide prime advertising opportunities to have your messages seen by target audiences. As we move towards digital-first guides, with minimal print runs made available as required, there are options for creative sponsorship and marketing packages at every level. Seasonal visitor guides (print & downloadable) are a trusted resource for visitors seeking inspiration and practical information.

• Exclusive guide sponsorship from £2,400 + VAT
• Full‑page advertising from £1,500 + VAT

Sponsorship of an exciting range of initiatives, such as the eagerly anticipated Tourism Awards, now featuring 15 categories, provides opportunities to communicate to your target audience through specially created promotion packages, including on the night activations, to suit a range of budgets. Take a look at www.lcrtourismawards.com to see how businesses benefit from supporting the local economy while showing support and showcasing the best of tourism in the region. To discuss opportunities for businesses with the same ambitions to grow and thrive as part of our visitor economy, please contact: partnerships@liverpoolcityregiondp.com

Advertise on visitliverpool.com

Reach a powerful digital audience through a dedicated page, feature or blog on the region’s primary visitor platform:

• More than 2 million users
• Over 6 million-page views in the last year

Enquire at partnerships@liverpoolcityregiondp.com

Join Us on Social Media

Engage with our highly active online community:

• Opportunities for your content to be featured through pre‑agreed promotional packages
• More than 102,000 Facebook followers
• Over 66,000 Instagram followers
• More than 65,000 X (Twitter) followers
• Over 28,000 TikTok followers

Ideal for boosting reach among people planning a visit.

 

Consumer E‑Newsletters

Connect directly with motivated, travel‑ready audiences to a database of over 40,000 subscribers:

• Feature placements from £275 + VAT
• Solus e‑newsletters from £1,000 + VAT

Mayor unveils great value tickets on Merseyrail services to supercharge Southport tourism

• Initiative is designed to champion Southport and its community
• £2 return for adults and £1 return for children for flagship events throughout 2026.
• Pocket friendly fares part of a commitment to increase visitors and strengthen the local economy
• Savings of up to 70% when compared with standard fares

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has unveiled great‑value tickets on Merseyrail services to support Southport’s headline events during 2026.

For just £2 return for adults and £1 for children, the offer gives residents and visitors alike an easy, affordable way to reach one of the UK’s most historic and elegantly eccentric seaside destinations from any Merseyrail station to enjoy a spectacular line‑up of the area’s biggest cultural events.

In some cases, the discount represent savings of up to 70% when compared with standard fares, opening the door for more families, day‑trippers and visitors from across the city region and beyond to enjoy what Southport has to offer.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said:

 “Southport is one of the jewels in our region’s cultural crown. But for too long it hasn’t had the attention – or ambition – it deserved. Thanks to devolution, and determined leadership from Cllr Marion Atkinson, we’re now working better across all levels of government to change that.

“Alongside the restoration of Southport Pier, we’re investing in the town’s future – from the £17m we’ve committed to the new Marine Lake Events Centre, to the £2.5m we’re investing to transform the Town Hall Gardens. And now, with a packed calendar of major events coming up, we want to make sure as many people as possible can be part of it.

“So we’re cutting the cost of train fares for these big events to try and make it cheaper and easier than ever to hop on the train and enjoy everything has to offer. You too can play your part – bring the family, support local businesses, and come and be part of what’s set to be a fantastic year for Southport.”

The pocket friendly fares form part of a wider drive to help Southport rebuild confidence, attract more visitors, and boost its local economy, ensuring the resort remains a vibrant destination for major events throughout the year.

Leaders across the city region have emphasised the importance of supporting Southport not only in terms of its regeneration and economic ambitions, but also in nurturing its cultural identity and strengthening community wellbeing.

Sefton Council Leader Cllr Marion Atkinson said:

“We really welcome this initiative, that will give families a chance to visit our wonderful town and experience some of our really exciting events that we have lined up. We have really been investing in Southport’s regeneration and I am really looking forward for people to take advantage of the discounted train fares and make the most of Southport.

“With something on nearly every month as part of our Elegantly Eccentric cultural programme, there is really something for everyone to enjoy.

“These affordable train tickets are helping encourage everyone to take the train to Southport and experience the programme of events that promise to keep the town buzzing.”

Tony Hall CBE, Lord Hall of Birkenhead Chair, Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership said:

“The programme of events will showcase the very best of Southport from our beautiful coastline to our vibrant cultural scene. The special Merseyrail tickets unveiled by the Mayor today are a great way of encouraging visitors to travel in and enjoy everything the town has to offer. By attracting people throughout the year, we’re helping to support local businesses, boost the visitor economy and strengthen Southport’s reputation as one of the region’s leading destinations.”

Suzanne Grant, Deputy Managing Director at Merseyrail, said:

“The £2 fare is a great way for us to support Southport’s visitor economy by making travel to events more accessible and affordable for people across the Liverpool City Region. Combined with £1 child fares and the convenience of Tap & Go, this offer encourages more people to enjoy the town’s flagship attractions and contribute to the local economy.”

The fares promotion on all Merseyrail services to and from Southport will be in place for the following events, with tickets available from Merseyrail ticket offices and via Tap and Go.

• Cristal Palace 3-4 April
• Big Top Festival 2-3 May
• Southport Food & Drink Festival 29-31 May
• Southport Flower Show 20 - 23 August
• Southport Airshow 29-30 2026
• British Musical Fireworks Championship 26-27 September
• Books Alive 24-31 October

The reduced-price tickets are being paid for by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority from funds recovered from train manufacturer Stadler.

For more information visit the Merseyrail website www.merseyrail.org

For more information about the events programme visit www.southport2026.com/

Get in touch with the commercial team at partnerships@liverpoolcityregiondp.com or visit the dedicated partnerships section of our website HERE.

• Collaborate on upcoming programmes
• Explore partnership opportunities
• Join us on stands promoting all the region has to offer
• Sponsor planned initiatives
• Contribute to major events and campaigns
• Or simply find out more about our work

Together, we can shape a visitor economy that is bold, inclusive and ready for the future.

To discuss opportunities, request further details or secure your place, please contact: partnerships@liverpoolcityregiondp.com

The Liverpool City Region is gearing up for a phenomenal year of sport, with two of the world’s most prestigious events returning to our doorstep.

The Randox Grand National, the planet’s greatest steeplechase, thunders back into Aintree in April, while July welcomes the global golfing elite to Royal Birkdale for the 154th Open, adding another unforgettable chapter to England’s most celebrated links course. Alongside these sporting giants, the Netball Super League brings fast‑paced, world‑class action to the M&S Bank Arena, promising an electrifying showcase for fans.