Eurovision 2023 may well and truly be over, but Liverpool is continuing to count the cost of hosting the show. Now, figures have been released showing that the city earned a total of £54 million during the two weeks of the Contest.
Surpassing all expectations
Throughout the summer, Liverpool City Council has been looking at the economic benefit the Contest brought to the city. At a special event held in the city on Thursday (October 26th), research revealed that £54.8 million was generated and fed into the local economy thanks to Eurovision. Liverpool clearly left a positive impression on visitors, as 96% of respondents would recommend the city as a destination.
In total, nearly half a million people attended a Eurovision event in the city at some point in the two weeks of the show. The event also attracted a further 306,000 tourists from across the UK, Europe and the globe to come to Liverpool. This is reflected in the fact that 175,000 hotel rooms were occupied during the course of the show.
The figures blew all expectations the Council had of hosting the show out of the water. Going into the Contest, Liverpool City Council expected £25 million of investment generated by the show, as well as an added 100,000 visitors to the city.
Speaking at the reveal of the figures, Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said that the Contest provided a well-needed economic boost for the city and region. He added:
Jobs were created, local businesses were on the receiving end of a much-needed boost and hundreds of thousands of people came to the city, had a great time and are more than likely to return again.
Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council
The story of Eurovision 2023
Although Ukraine won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, due to the ongoing Russian invasion they are unable to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Instead, the United Kingdom stepped in, as 2022’s runner-up; Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of May 2023. The contest took place at the M&S Arena, with 37 countries taking part. The full production team behind the 2023 contest is listed here. The contest was a co-production between host broadcaster the BBC and last year’s winning broadcaster, Suspilne.
What do you make of the figures released by Liverpool City Council? Would you consider Eurovision 2023 a success? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we reflect on the Contest that was Eurovision 2023!
News Source: Liverpool Council
Photo Credit: Network Rail
[…] week, it was revealed that the contest in Liverpool brought nearly £55 million to the Liverpudlian economy. Additionally, nearly half a million people took part in a […]