New organisation aims to maximise Beatles tourism in Liverpool

A new organisation has been launched with the aim of maximising tourism revenue in Liverpool generated by The Beatles’ legacy.

The Beatles Legacy Group will be chaired by Peter Hooton, former frontman of The Farm. Its first official meeting will take place in March 2016.

I’m delighted that I’ve been asked by the mayor to chair the Beatles Legacy Group.

I’ve always been passionate and proud of Liverpool’s musical heritage especially our most famous sons The Beatles.

I hope the Beatles Legacy group can come up with strategies and ideas to enhance the already superb attractions the city has to offer, in order to attract even more visitors in the future to our ‘City of Music’.

The report highlighted the need to work with and engage with young people so I look forward to exploring all options around this with the group.

The announcement follows research suggesting The Beatles boost Liverpool’s economy by £82 million a year, and have helped generate 2,335 jobs.

Each year 250,000 people visit The Beatles Story museum, and 800,000 music lovers descend the Mathew Street steps to the Cavern Club. A further 104,000 people visit the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney on National Trust minibus tours.

Embed from Getty Images

The Beatles legacy report was a fascinating insight, and although it was encouraging to see just how successful the current offer is, if we want to build on this we need to look at the bigger picture and improve the experience across the board.

Setting up a Legacy Group was one of the main recommendations of the report and from the outset, I wanted an artist to be the Chair and Peter was my first choice – he understands the industry, and the value of the Beatles to Liverpool and will always look at the bigger picture in terms of making decisions that are best for the city and the city’s reputation

After an informal meeting the wheels are already in motion – each member of the group brings different expertise to the table which will result in us building on what is already in place and introducing new initiatives to make sure that fans from the UK and across the world have an unforgettable Beatles experience for all the right reasons.