Contents. Digest of Tourism Statistics The Liverpool LEP April 2013 Page 1

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3 Contents Introduction 2 The Key Facts 3 1 Overall Size of the Visitor Economy (STEAM) Number of visitors (volume) Total spend by visitors (value) Jobs supported by the visitor economy Change over time STEAM Methodology 9 2 Local data from the Visitor Economy Hotel occupancy Hotel stock Visitor attractions Sport Events Transport data Business Performance 22 3 Visitor profile data Visitor Origin Mode of transport Purpose of visit Demographics Group type 35 4 National data Occupancy trends Visits to attractions trends Domestic visitors (GBTS) Inbound visitors (IPS) 40 5 Forecasts Trends from the Liverpool City Region 3-year Action Plan Economic outlook Articles The Importance of Events Tourism Business Confidence - Nationally News 52 Appendices 54 Further reference sources 54 SIC codes defining the visitor economy 55 Crude guide to statistical confidence levels 56 Details of available publications 57 April 2013 Page 1

4 Introduction Welcome to the latest edition of the. The Digest is written about Tourism Research in the Liverpool City Region and is intended for all users of tourism research data; whether businesses, consultants or students. Each edition sees a presentation of key tourism statistics which may change only once during a year together with the latest data and any recent research that the tourist board has commissioned or sponsored. There are also links for further information. Given the state of both the UK and economies around the globe, in response to requests, we include brief information on this in section 5.2. This Digest presents STEAM 1 data for 2011 that is, the estimated visitor numbers recorded by the city and wider city region. Overall, visitor levels were lower than in Capital of Culture Year, but higher than in earlier years, a pattern we see in other data sources. Indeed, although 2008 represented a spike in visitor numbers we see evidence of ongoing growth. Currently, the whole economy of the Liverpool City Region is performing below national levels, with Gross Value Added per head at 14,914 in 2009 ( 20,231 nationally). The visitor economy is one of four key growth sectors, building on the strengths and potential the area offers, to drive a step change in the economic performance of the Liverpool City Region. The four growth sectors in full are: Culture and the Visitor Economy Liverpool Superport Low Carbon Economy The Knowledge Economy For more information on each of these, see the details of available publications in the appendix. We welcome feedback on this document; if you feel there is some aspect of research it should cover, please do let us know on research@liverpoollep.org. The Liverpool City Region We describe the geography covered by the tourist board as being the Liverpool City Region (not to be confused with the Liverpool Local Authority area or the City Centre). Although there are a number of definitions, for our purposes this covers the six districts comprising Merseyside and Halton ; the same area as covered by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership: 1 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor, the primary method used by the Liverpool LEP and many tourist boards in the UK to measure the value and volume of tourism. April 2013 Page 2

5 Key Facts about the visitor economy in the Liverpool City Region 1. In 2011 there were 55m visitors to the Liverpool City Region. 2. In 2011 the visitor economy was worth 3.1bn to the Liverpool City Region. 3. In 2011 approximately 43,300 jobs were supported by visitor spend. 4. Liverpool is in the top 10 of all UK towns or cities visited by overseas visitors (and is now placed 5 th ). 5. Five attractions drew in over ½ m visitors in 2012; the new Museum of Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Mersey Ferries and World Museum Liverpool, 6. Average hotel room occupancy in 2012 was 72%. 7. Over 1.2m hotel rooms were sold in Liverpool City Centre in ,646,185 passengers passed through Liverpool John Lennon Airport in Some 600,000 passengers arrived or departed the City Region on one of the three ferry routes in Liverpool One, the retail and leisure development in the City Centre, recorded a footfall of almost 26m people in 2012 this is 5% up on England s Northwest Research Service The Digest is produced by the research team at The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, who are also responsible for the annual Economic Review and conducting many of the local tourism surveys, including Destination Benchmarking, the Airport Gateway study and a quarterly Tourism Business Performance survey. Under the banner of England s Northwest Research Service, the team conducts commercial research in a range of different sectors across the Northwest, with a particular specialism in the tourism industry and event impact evaluation. Amongst the research packages we can offer are: Customer profiling and segmentation Customer satisfaction studies Economic impact studies Gap analysis Marketing / branding evaluation and assessment Performance monitoring For more information, contact research@liverpoollep.org. April 2013 Page 3

6 Size of the Visitor Economy 1 Overall size of the visitor economy (STEAM) 1.1 Number of visitors (Volume) In total there were an estimated 55m visitors to the Liverpool City Region in 2011; this includes 50.5m day visitors and 4.5m staying visitors. For the city of Liverpool itself, this equated to a total of 30.5m visitors (28.5m day visitors and 2.0m staying visitors). Thousands of visitors 2011 Liverpool Liverpool City Region Serviced Accommodation 1, ,122.1 Non-Serviced Accommodation Staying with Friends and Relatives ,131.2 Day Visitors 28, ,506.3 TOTAL 30, ,987.9 Source: STEAM Day Visitors (000s) Staying Visitors (000s) Wirral, 6,026.5 Halton, Knowsley, St.Helens, 8,310.4 Halton, Knowsley, St.Helens, 1,033.6 Liverpool, 1,984.1 Sefton, 7,657.9 Liverpool, 28,511.4 Wirral, Sefton, Statistical Note: Although in the charts above we provide data for each district, a certain amount of caution should be exercised. STEAM is very much an input-based model (see section 1.5), and whilst a good range of inputs are available for the whole city region and Liverpool itself, this is less the case at district level. Hence, although figures for the whole area and Liverpool are statistically robust, the exact split of visitor numbers and impact amongst the other five districts has a lower level of statistical reliability. April 2013 Page 4

7 Size of the Visitor Economy 1.2 Total spend by visitors (Value) Total spend by visitors is shown in the table below. Note that this covers both the direct spend by visitors and the indirect spend resulting (for example, spend within the local economy by businesses using local goods and services). In 2011 the visitor economy was estimated as being worth 3.1bn to the Liverpool City Region - 898m of this coming from staying visitors. The visitor economy was worth 2bn to Liverpool itself. Economic impact of visitors 2011 ( m) Liverpool Liverpool City Region Serviced Accommodation Non-Serviced Accommodation Staying with Friends and Relatives Day Visitors 1, ,245.4 TOTAL 2, ,143.8 Source: STEAM Economic Impact ( m) Halton, Knowsley, St.Helens, Wirral, Sefton, Liverpool, 2,037.0 The sectors where spend occurs are detailed below. Economic impact of visitors 2011 ( m) Liverpool Liverpool City Region Accommodation Food and drink Recreation Shopping Transport Total Direct Revenue 1, ,935.4 Indirect Expenditure VAT TOTAL 2, ,143.8 Source: STEAM April 2013 Page 5

8 Size of the Visitor Economy 1.3 Jobs supported by the visitor economy In terms of jobs in the visitor economy, there are two broad approaches to estimating this. The first is to estimate the jobs supported by visitor spend (as adopted by the STEAM model). The second is to decide which SIC 2 codes are applicable to tourism and use survey data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to determine actual jobs. Neither method is an exact estimate, as using STEAM is clearly not counting direct jobs, whilst using ONS data does not count the jobs that may be supported by spend made with sectors outside the SIC codes nor does this approach allow for the calculation of indirect jobs being supported. a) Using STEAM data. This estimates that there were 43,316 jobs supported by tourism expenditure throughout the Liverpool City Region 33,300 of these were direct jobs. In Liverpool there were 27,637 jobs supported by tourism spend. Jobs supported by visitor spend (FTE) 2011 Liverpool Liverpool City Region Accommodation 1,388 3,164 Food and drink 7,882 11,090 Recreation 3,016 4,056 Shopping 7,587 12,918 Transport 1,497 2,072 Total Direct Revenue 21,369 33,300 Indirect Expenditure 6,267 10,016 TOTAL 27,637 43,316 Source: STEAM Direct Jobs Total Jobs (Incl. indirect) Wirral, 3,338 Halton, Knowsley, St.Helens, 4,285 Halton, Knowsley, St.Helens, Wirral, 5,458 4,212 Sefton, 4,308 Liverpool, 21,369 Sefton, 6,010 Liverpool, 27,637 Source: STEAM 2 Standard Industrial Classification the list of codes used by ONS to allocate all industries into specific sectors, last revised in Typically, many economic activity sectors such as tourism do not fit neatly into the codes used by ONS, but are instead assumed to involve a range of sectors and sub-sectors. April 2013 Page 6

9 Size of the Visitor Economy b) Using data from ONS A selection of SIC codes have been chosen as providing the closest fit possible in terms of the visitor economy sector and these are listed in the appendix. This suggests that there were 46,700 direct jobs in visitor economy-related SIC codes; including 27,200 part-time jobs and 17,400 full-time jobs. As indicated above though, this is likely to significantly undervalue the jobs connected to the visitor economy; an easy example to illustrate the point is that this data does not cover jobs in the retail sector, when STEAM suggest that over a third of visitor spend was made on shopping, thus supporting jobs in this sector. Jobs in the visitor economy, Liverpool City Region Full time Employees Part Time Employees All Employment 3 Accommodation 2,800 2,500 5,400 Food and drink 10,900 21,800 34,100 Transport & travel 1, ,800 Culture, attractions, entertainment, other 2,600 2,400 5,300 TOTAL 17,400 27,200 46,700 Source: Business Register & Employment Survey 2010, ONS. Even using this limited ONS data demonstrates the importance of the sector, with the above jobs accounting for 8% of all employment within the Liverpool City Region although this will vary by district, as indicated below: Halton employment 6.1% Knowsley employment 4.2% Liverpool employment 8.4% Visitor economy Other Visitor economy Other Visitor economy Other Sefton employment 10.6 % St.Helens employment 7.4% Wirral employment 7.2% Visitor economy Other Visitor economy Other Visitor economy Other 3 All employment includes both employees and self employed such as sole traders. April 2013 Page 7

10 386.0m 406.0m 434.0m 490.0m 492.0m 538.0m 533.0m 790.0m 826.0m 863.0m 892.0m 859.0m 906.0m 898.0m 1,169.0m 1,207.0m 1,250.0m 1,673.0m 1,366.0m 1,483.0m 1,504.0m 1,991.0m 2,063.0m 2,097.0m 2,479.0m 2,119.0m 2,225.0m 2,245.0m 22,124 44,193 22,476 45,167 23,280 46,098 31,707 55,429 25,890 48,209 28,112 50,088 28,511 50,506 1,491 3,954 1,628 4,188 1,703 4,296 1,913 4,453 1,735 4,108 1,958 4,419 1,984 4,482 (000s) (000s) Size of the Visitor Economy 1.4 Change over time Although the headline figures produced by STEAM are useful, it is perhaps even more helpful in illustrating growth or decline in the visitor economy. In the series of charts below, data is tracked back to ,000 Numbers of day visitors 5,000 Numbers of staying visitors 50,000 4,500 4,000 40,000 3,500 3,000 30,000 2,500 20,000 2,000 1,500 10,000 1, Liverpool Liverpool City Region Liverpool Liverpool City Region Source: STEAM Both day and staying visitor numbers show an increase from last year; day visitors are at their highest ever level excluding Capital of Culture year, whilst staying visits across the whole city region reached a new record level. In terms of the economic impact of the sector, despite the spike generated by Capital of Culture there is a clear ongoing growth trend. Over the last year, economic conditions have seen a reduction in per capita spending notable especially in terms of accommodation spend which means that the sector has shown only a relatively small growth. 2,500m Economic impact - Liverpool 4,000m Economic impact - Whole City Region 2,000m 3,500m 3,000m 1,500m 2,500m 2,000m 1,000m 1,500m 500m 1,000m 500m m Staying visitors Day visitors m Staying visitors Day visitors Source: STEAM 4 Note: where economic data is traced back to 2005, all figures shown are at 2011values. April 2013 Page 8

11 Size of the Visitor Economy 1.5 STEAM Methodology To estimate the volume and value of tourism, the Liverpool City Region uses the STEAM 5 model this model is widely (though not universally) used across the UK, including other tourist boards in Northwest England. STEAM is owned and operated by Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd. STEAM relies on local-level data to drive the estimates, principally 6 : o Accommodation stock o Local occupancy surveys o Visits to attractions / events o Visits to Tourist Information Centres o Hotel Occupancy in the City Region A key component of the way in which STEAM works is its definition of day visitors ; this is defined as a person travelling to a district other than that in which they live, for a non-routine purpose, with a stay of over 3 hours. Thus, someone making a trip to Southport Pier from Liverpool could be classed as a day visitor, but not someone making a similar trip who lived in Formby. The important note to make here is that the number of the day visits recorded by STEAM for the Liverpool City Region will contain a certain amount of intra-city region tourism. Local data for the preceding year is gathered by the research team in January-March each year. This data is passed to Global Tourism Solutions, with reports typically available by mid-year. Currently the most recently available data is that for Note: GTS-UK has utilised research conducted on behalf of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) in 2007/2009 to update the initial baseline estimates which the model has used much of this information having not previously been available. This change has resulted in significant alterations to data and this affects not just the Liverpool City Region but also the whole of the Northwest. Therefore, the figures used within this Digest replace completely any STEAM figures from 2009 or before. For more guidance on this change (if required), please contact the research team: research@liverpoollep.org. 5 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor so-called because Scarborough was the first UK location where the model was applied. 6 Notice that STEAM uses a further range of inputs, although the components which have the biggest influence on the model are listed here. April 2013 Page 9

12 53.9% 54.4% 57.9% 67.0% 68.9% 67.7% 71.1% 65.9% 70.3% 70.4% 74.9% 73.1% 68.8% 68.3% 72.7% 69.8% 71.5% 76.1% 74.8% 77.2% 76.8% 73.4% 73.3% 76.4% 75.5% 75.7% 79.8% 76.1% 75.6% 77.3% 71.8% 73.5% 77.9% 61.9% 65.7% 62.7% Local Data 2 Local data from the Visitor Economy 2.1 Hotel occupancy Hotel occupancy data is drawn from the LJ Forecaster 7. Currently, 36 establishments take part in LJ Forecaster in the Liverpool City Region; although predominantly reflective of larger hotels and serviced apartments in Liverpool City Centre, it includes a number of establishments based in the districts. Room occupancy, Liverpool City Region Weekday average (Mo-Th) 70.5% 76.5% 66.3% 66.3% 66.7% 69.0% Weekend average (Fr-Sa) 83.9% 85.8% 83.8% 83.9% 85.8% 87.6% Sunday 48.2% 54.1% 51.1% 53.5% 54.9% 56.3% Total average 71.3% 75.8% 69.2% 69.5% 70.4% 72. 4% Source: LJ Forecaster In 2012 room occupancy in the city region averaged 72%. Current trends suggest that 2013 will be higher. Although occupancy levels are lower overall than in 2008, two factors should be remembered; o 2008 was Capital of Culture Year. o There has been significant growth in actual rooms since 2008 (see section 2.2). A particular feature of the Liverpool City Region is that it records high weekend occupancy levels with lower levels during the week. In part this is a reflection of the lower business base of the Liverpool City Region though the growing conference market is beginning to redress this. This does point to the strength of the leisure market, with weekend occupancy now as high as was recorded during Below, the latest occupancy data is compared with earlier years. 90% Occupancy monthly tends 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Source: LJ Forecaster 7 LJ Forecaster is a tool run by Lynne Jones Research Ltd that allows hotel and tourism managers to see an up-todate picture of room occupancy and availability in their city. April 2013 Page 10

13 Local Data Most establishments 8 also complete a section of the LJ Forecaster dealing with revenue analysis. This gives the Average Room Rate (ARR) and Revenue Per Available Rooms (RevPAR) the latter tending to be the preferred measure in terms of economic performance. Room revenue, Liverpool City Region ARR weekday average (Mo-Th) ARR weekend average (Fr-Sa) ARR average REVPAR weekday average (Mo-Th) REVPAR weekend average (Fr-Sa) REVPAR average Source: LJ Forecaster The average room yield (RevPAR) in the city region in 2012 was Although weekday yield tends to show a reduction on previous years, weekend yield appears above that seen in Both weekday and weekend yields are still lower than that seen pre-2009; reflecting reduced levels of business travel, the pressure on leisure visitor spend and increased competition from expanded stock levels. Room yield monthly tends Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Source: LJ Forecaster Major events are an important factor in generating higher performance for accommodation providers in the Liverpool City Region; for example: The Grand National Weekend 2012 saw: average occupancy levels of 91% and an average room yield of The Mathew Street Festival 2011 saw: average occupancy levels of 87% and an average room yield of The Labour Party Conference 9 period saw: average occupancy levels of 86% and an average room yield of All hotel performance both in terms of occupancy levels and yield needs to be viewed in the light of the hotel room stock in the city (see section 2.2). 8 Note: this does not mean all hotels; for example in the most recent monthly survey, 35 out of the 37 supplied revenue figures. 9 Held in the city for the first time, from 25/09/2011to 29/09/2011. April 2013 Page 11

14 67,000 72,000 81, ,000 81,000 92, ,000 86, , ,000 98, , ,000 91, , ,000 91, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,000 92,000 94, Local Data In the table below, known city centre hotel stock is overlaid by the occupancy levels shown in the LJ Forecaster to produce an estimate of the actual number of hotel rooms that have been sold: Hotel rooms sold 10 Liverpool City Centre , , , , , , ,046, ,124, ,244,000 Source: LJ Forecaster / Tourist board room stock data This indicates a growth in the numbers of visitors staying in hotels in the city and in 2012 over 1.2m rooms were sold in the city centre. This is higher than in any previous year (including Capital of Culture year) and shows Liverpool s ongoing growth as a destination. We note that the year to date figure suggest a growth 11% above last year at the same time. Importantly, besides the attractiveness of the destination, this is also a product of increasing stock levels; below we see the monthly results, with each month indicating record numbers of rooms being sold on the year before. City Centre rooms sold Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Source: LJ Forecaster / Tourist board room stock data 10 Figures rounded to the nearest 000. April 2013 Page 12

15 ,612 3,617 2,639 3,714 2,787 3,712 3,432 3,851 3,932 4,235 4,251 4,386 4,557 4,452 4,698 4, Local Data 2.2 Hotel stock Hotel room stock is (as seen in 2.1) an important component behind performance; in the charts below we show growth both in the room stock and the number of establishments. Note that in order to simplify this visually, we present the data split between Liverpool City Centre and elsewhere in the city region (including the Liverpool suburbs). Hotel room stock Hotel establishments 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, Liverpool City Centre Elsewhere City Region Liverpool City Centre Elsewhere City Region Source: Tourist board room stock data Since 2005, the city centre stock has grown by 80%: from 2,612 rooms to 4,698 rooms. This includes the most recent openings: o The 155 room Days Inn Hotel on James Street (opened March 2011). o The 151 room Hotel Indigo on Chapel Street (opened June 2011). o The 141 room Travelodge on The Strand (opened February 2012) o The 183 room Premier Inn on Hanover Street (October 2012) This rate of growth is slightly lower when viewed across the entire Liverpool City Region. With fewer developments outside the city centre, total stock has grown by 49% (from 6,229 rooms to 9,291 rooms). Most recent developments include: o The 66-room Travelodge in New Brighton (opened July 2011). o The 56-room Holiday Inn Express in Hoylake 11 (opened in May 2012) In terms of hotel grading, the chart below details for both the city centre and the whole city region the number of rooms and establishments available for each rating. Rooms Budget 1* 2* 3* 4* City Centre 1, ,413 1,611 Elsewhere City Region 1, ,018 1,024 Total 2, ,431 2,635 Establishments Budget 1* 2* 3* 4* City Centre Elsewhere City Region Total Source: Liverpool LEP Room Stock 11 Might be considered a reopening, being a reconstruction of the former Kings Gap Court Hotel. April 2013 Page 13

16 Local Data 2.3 Visits to Attractions In the table below, we show the top attractions in the Liverpool City Region in 2012; this shows the diverse range of attractions, both free and paid, that the city region offers. It should be noted that this excludes some major attractions in the area where it is not possible to obtain accurate counts, such as the Albert Dock, Wirral Coastal Park and Another Place. Note that we can only show those attractions who respond to our annual attractions survey and who permit us to show their data. We specifically note here that during 2011 the new Museum of Liverpool opened on the waterfront; a major new attraction for the city. In the 20 months since its July opening, the venue has seen over 1.5m visitors. Top free attractions Attraction Type District Attendance Museum of Liverpool Museum / gallery Liverpool 1,011,058 2 Merseyside Maritime Museum Museum / gallery Liverpool 845,709 3 World Museum Liverpool Museum / gallery Liverpool 716,579 4 Tate Liverpool Museum / gallery Liverpool 620,124 5 Bluecoat Museum / gallery Liverpool 615,824& 6 Liverpool Cathedral Place of worship Liverpool 471,044 7 International Slavery Museum Museum / gallery Liverpool 444,070 8 FACT Museum / gallery Liverpool 360,361* 9 Walker Art Gallery Museum / gallery Liverpool 337, Southport Pier Other Sefton 317,007* 11 Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Place of worship Liverpool 313, National Trust, Formby Nature / wildlife / zoo Sefton 267,375& 13 Lady Lever Art Gallery Museum / gallery Wirral 200, Tam O Shanter Urban Farm Farms Wirral 108,000* 15 Sudley House Historic Property Liverpool 65,053 Source: Tourist board annual Visitor Attractions Survey Top paid attractions Attraction Type District Attendance Mersey Ferries Other Liverpool &Wirral 637,312 2 Echo Arena Liverpool Entertainment Liverpool 574,748& 3 Knowsley Safari Park Nature / wildlife / zoo Knowsley 530,691@ 4 Liverpool Philharmonic Entertainment Liverpool 262,382 5 Beatles Story Museum / gallery Liverpool 241,188 6 Liverpool Football Club Museum & Tour Museum / gallery Liverpool 143,122# 7 New Palace Family Amusement Centre Leisure / theme parks Wirral 140,000# 8 Croxteth Hall & Country Park Historic Property Liverpool 117,361@ 9 Yellow Duckmarine Tour Liverpool 107,271& 10 Ness Botanic Gardens Gardens Wirral 101,701* 11 Speke Hall, Gardens & Estate Historic Property Liverpool 105,771& 12 Port Sunlight Museum Museum / gallery Wirral 35,178& 13 Beatles Magical Mystery Tour Tour Liverpool 33,757* 14 World of Glass Visitor Centre St.Helens 33, Norton Priory Historic Property Halton 29,673* & 2011 figures * figures # 2008 figures Source: Tourist board annual Visitor Attractions Survey April 2013 Page 14

17 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 4.1% 7.4% 7.4% 8.2% 8.5% 9.2% 12.0% 14.5% 7.8% 9.6% 7.0% 4.3% Local Data An important analysis in terms of visits to attractions is to view changes over time. For our core attractions, the chart below on the left shows the change indexed to 2005; whilst on the right it shows the distribution of visits during ; in part at least some of this may owe to the opening of the new Museum of Liverpool, but given ongoing pressures on disposable household income it is likely that a growth in daycations has taken place in Core attractions - visit trends monthly visits % % 12% 10% 8% 6% 110 4% % 0% Source: Liverpool Tourist board Key Performance Indicators This suggests as with the STEAM and hotel occupancy data an underlying trend of growth in the visitor market. Even ignoring the impact of the new museum, visits in April June were higher than seen in any year besides Capital of Culture. The peak of visitation to attractions occurs in July and August but there are still substantial levels occurring at all other times of the year including the October period. 2.4 Sport As well as visitor attractions, sport is a key driver behind visits to the city region; the following are the attendance figures recorded at key venues for the most recent sporting year 13. Venue District Attendance 1 Liverpool FC Liverpool 929,994 2 Everton FC Liverpool 819,409 3 St.Helens Saints RLFC St.Helens 228,810 4 Aintree Racecourse Liverpool 177,506 5 Haydock Park Racecourse St.Helens 170,183 6 Tranmere Rovers FC Wirral 127,765 7 Widnes Vikings RLFC Halton 76,832 Source: Media / publicity 12 We use 2010 for distribution of visits, to allow for the possible distortion from the opening of the new Museum of Liverpool. 13 For racecourses this is a calendar year; for others this relates to the 2010/11 sport season. April 2013 Page 15

18 Local Data 2.5 Events In addition to the list of top attractions we also record the top 10 free and paid events. Where local authorities or event organisers have published a figure we use this; other than that, use is made of figures quoted in the press. A higher degree of reliability is associated with visitor numbers at paid events, as the ticketed data provides a robust measure. Again, as with attractions, we can only show those events where organisers respond to our request for figures and permit us to publish their data. Top free events 2012 Event District Attendance 1 Mathew Street 14 Liverpool 160,000 2 Brazilica Liverpool 80,000 3 Liverpool Pride Liverpool 52,000 4 Hope Street Festival Liverpool 30,000 5 Southport Food & Drink Sefton 24,000 6 Festival of Transport Wirral 35,000 7 Hoylake RNLI Open Day Wirral 20,000 8 Wirral Kite Festival Wirral 18,500 9 Wirral Egg run Wirral 12, Halloween Lantern Carnival Sefton 10,000 Source: Media / publicity Top paid events 2012 Event District Attendance 1 Grand National Liverpool 150,000 2 Southport Air Show Sefton 150,000 3 Southport Flower Show Sefton 70,000 4 Creamfields Halton 60,000 5 Liverpool Food and Drink Festival Liverpool 36,000 6 Wirral Food and Drink Festival Wirral 20,000 7 Liverpool International Tennis Tournament Liverpool 20,000 8 RunLiverpool Marathon 15 Liverpool / Wirral 10,000 9 NW Masters Haydock St Helens 10, Port Sunlight Christmas Fayre Wirral 6,000 Source: Media / publicity 14 Saturday figure only, due to event being cancelled because of bad weather 15 Figure covers >10,000 runners April 2013 Page 16

19 ,416,751 4,971,361 5,517,667 5,402,982 4,942,981 5,008,455 5,247,109 4,646,185 Change (indexed to 2000) Local Data 2.6 Transport data a) Passenger levels LJLA A range of airlines provide routes out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) including the scheduled operators EasyJet, FlyBE, Ryanair and Wizz Air. 6,000,000 5,000,000 LJLA passenger numbers Passenger levels 4,000, ,000,000 2,000,000 1,000, ALL UK airports LJLA Source: CAA Airport Statistics During 2012 just under 5m passengers travelled through LJLA; this is a slight downturn on figures recorded during the previous 2 years. However, there are a number of considerations to be taken into account here: The above data represents both inbound 16 and outbound 17 travellers; there being no contiguous source disaggregating changing tourism levels from (potentially lower) domestic outbound travellers saw the full impact of the recession, which is likely to have dampened travel demand, in particular amongst UK residents making outbound trips 19. The relatively recent cessation of the KLM link to Schiphol is likely to have an impact on traffic levels in One point that we would draw is the relative growth in traffic at LJLA to the end of 2011 when compared to national data (represented top right); the airport showed historic growth stronger than the UK air travel total and a stronger recovery from the recessionary period. However, as indicated about, the cessation of the KLM service may mean an end to this trend. 16 Inbound = Overseas visitors to the UK. 17 Outbound = UK nationals travelling overseas. 18 Every two/three years conducts the Gateway Survey, which provides an analysis of outbound visitors and includes a measure of what the split is between inbound and outbound travellers. The 2009 study suggested 24% were inbound travellers; the 2007 study estimated 16% were inbound travellers. 19 As suggested by research from VisitBritain April 2013 Page 17

20 321, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,000 Local Data Monthly Terminal Pax, LJLA Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Source: CAA Airport Statistics The change on a monthly basis can be seen above; whilst below we show in the year to date the number of passengers by route of destination/origin. Again do bear in mind that this covers both inbound and outbound travellers, and is not necessarily an indication of the strength of different visitor markets. Passengers - International Route analysis Spain Eire Poland France Netherlands Portugal Canary Islands Switzerland Germany Italy Belgium Norway Slovak Republic Greece Lithuania Gibraltar Latvia Malta Estonia Turkey Austria Sweden 460, , , , , , ,763 92,150 69,471 44,703 53,138 47,636 44,633 50,355 35,113 36,086 26,174 23,080 20,472 11,583 8,122 Source: CAA Airport Statistics 1,100,893 April 2013 Page 18

21 (000s Pax) Local Data b) Irish Sea Ferry passengers Until recently, four passenger routes were operated from the Liverpool City Region: Liverpool Isle of Man (Steam Packet) Liverpool Dublin (P&O) Birkenhead Dublin (Norfolkline DFDS) Birkenhead Belfast (Norfolkline DFDS Stena) In 2010, DFDS acquired Norfolkline; unfortunately, despite strong market potential DFDS disposed of the Irish Sea part of the Norfolkline group within a year this decision may particularly have been influenced by the condition of the Irish economy. The Belfast link was sold to Stena and the Dublin link closed as at January Stena have since undertaken significant refurbishment of the ships on their new Belfast link, with strong marketing promotion Liverpool Sea Passengers Liverpool - Dublin Liverpool - Belfast Liverpool - Douglas Source: Sea Passenger Statistics, DfT In 2012, some 600,000 passengers arrived in Liverpool by one of the four ferry routes saw a significantly higher level of traffic on all routes, partially benefitting from the disruption to aviation caused by the eruption of Eyjafjellajokull; however a quarterly analysis of route data indicates a level of modal shift, with growth in ferry passengers across the whole year has seen growth on the Belfast route (some of this being traffic abstracted from the closure of the competing Fleetwood-Larne link at the end of 2010). Liverpool-Douglas figures were affected in 2011 by technical problems, meaning fewer sailings were offered during the summer / autumn. The much smaller passenger capacity now offered to Dublin is evident, despite P&O introducing a third vessel onto their route (weekly passenger capacity is now c5,700, compared to c10,900 in 2010). An expansion / reopening or an improved offer is here unlikely until both UK and Irish economies improve. April 2013 Page 19

22 8,159 17,700 24,384 26,422 26,470 23,644 6,146 15,995 10,990 10,160 8,400 9, Local Data c) Cruise Ship Passengers Since Liverpool s Cruise Terminal was inaugurated in September 2007, allowing vessels to berth alongside the waterfront (rather than mid-river or in the North Docks), the cruise market has shown significant growth. In 2012 those which are on a cruise originating or terminating in Liverpool were permitted to this facility for the first time, having previously been located in the Langton Dock; temporary terminal check-in and baggage facilities have been constructed on adjoining land. The charts below show both cruise ship calls and originating/terminating cruises; both in terms of passenger numbers 20 and vessel trips. 30,000 25,000 Cruise Passengers Vessel trips 20,000 15,000 10,000 5, Cruise calls Originating / terminating cruises Cruise calls Originating / terminating cruises Source: Port / operator publicity In 2012 it was estimated that there would be potentially 23,644 passengers on cruise ships visiting the city and an estimated 9,600 on cruise ships departing the city. The estimated number of passengers on cruise calls at the terminal in 2012 is slightly reduced on last year, though broadly comparable saw a slight increase in cruises/pax originating or terminating in the city. Partially this is due to the ability to now use the Liverpool Cruise Terminal (operators had expressed dissatisfaction with the location, facilities and the need to lock in and out at the Langton Dock terminal, especially in comparison with the Liverpool Cruise Terminal). However, with many operators planning their schedules some years in advance, it is likely to be some time before the real benefit of the new facility becomes apparent. 20 Passengers shown is for the potential pax, i.e., if each ship were operating at capacity, (based on the listed passenger capacity on the operators websites) and hence may not fully reflect actual passenger numbers. April 2013 Page 20

23 Local Data d) Rail Passengers Data on rail passengers is hard to come by; despite rail operation in the UK being operated through government-supported franchises, less information is available than in the private sectors of shipping and aviation. Possibly the only usable data comes from the Rail Regulator s monitor of station usage. This only covers total passengers not just visitors. Nevertheless we show on the left the top UK stations 21 compared to other major UK cities and on the right usage levels of other key stations 22 within the Liverpool City Region. Most recent data comes from the financial year and the estimated change is calculated on the increase/decrease over Key destinations Exits Estimated change: Selected key city region stations Exits Estimated change: Glasgow Central 12,475, % Liverpool James Street 1,659, % Birmingham New St 12,348, % Southport 1,443, % Leeds 12,245, % Formby 797, % Manchester Piccadilly 10,639, % New Brighton 512, % Edinburgh 9,978, % West Kirby 407, % Brighton 7,246, % St.Helens Central 361, % Liverpool Lime St 5,905, % Port Sunlight 337, % Cardiff Central 5,629, % Liverpool South Parkway 320, % Bristol Temple Meads 4,204, % Hoylake 294, % Cambridge 4,122, % Runcorn 309, % Source: Station usage data, Office of the Rail Regulator. Statistical note: As data is drawn from ticket sales data from the rail industry, trips undertaken using multi-modal ticket in former metropolitan areas (such as Merseyside ) are estimated and included within these figures. 21 Excluding London & key commuter terminals 22 Stations are selected based on their central locations or proximity to key visitor attractions. April 2013 Page 21

24 Local Data 2.8 Business performance Throughout the year the research team at the Local Enterprise Partnership conducts the how s business survey, in order to monitor performance of the visitor economy locally and to identify any emerging concerns that businesses may have. A web-based survey is currently used. All the LEPs tourism and conference members are sent an inviting them to participate in the research, highlighting the reasons for the survey. Unfortunately response rates are currently relatively low with an average strike rate of less than 5% typically yielding c.50 responses. This means that although we are able to gauge the overall mood amongst businesses, we are not able to view to any depth what is happening in subsectors of the visitor economy. (Broadly speaking, 52% of the sample came from accommodation providers, 10% from visitor attractions, 24% from catering and 14% from others ). This report presents the findings from the latest survey, conducted during January. a) Industry performance over the past three months Businesses were asked how their performance had been over the last few months, compared with the same period a year ago. 120% How has business been generally during the second part of this year compared to the same time in % 80% 22% 60% 40% 20% 0% -20% 26% 65% 44% 26% -9% -30% 44% 35% 17% 39% -44% Up Level Down -40% -60% Turnover Costs Visitor numbers Profitability A majority of businesses stated that their costs had increased (over half, at 65%). There is something of an ambivalence regarding visitor numbers; as many businesses reported a drop as reported a rise. Note 44% indicated that their profitability was down, with just 17% reporting this as up; this may be either due to the factors of increased costs or more cautious spending by consumers; and especially in the case of accommodation providers, the increased levels of competition. April 2013 Page 22

25 Local Data Businesses were then asked to indicate changes in their level of trade from different market segments, compared to the same time in % 60% 40% 20% And have you experienced any changes in the following types of business compared to the same period last year 18% 14% 10% 14% 55% 50% 45% 38% 37% 5% 0% Up -20% -40% -27% -36% -45% -52% -58% Level Down -60% -80% UK Visitors Overseas visitors Group trade Business trade Conferences Below this is balanced (the proportion of businesses reporting an increase, less the proportion reporting a decrease): UK visitors -9% Overseas visitors -23% Group trade -35% Business trade -39% Conferences -53% Although results for the domestic market suggest a pattern largely reflective of that seen in 2011, we note that the data indicates growth in the overseas markets. Business and conference trade numbers are down significantly although at least partially this could reflect on the city hosting the Labour Party conference in April 2013 Page 23

26 January February March May June August September November March July January September December March 2012 August 2012 December 2012 Local Data b) Industry Forecast Businesses were then asked how they would forecast their overall profitability over the next three months compared to the same period last year (note that during the recession this survey ran more frequently). Change in profitability; time series 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 20% 17% 24% 21% 30% 25% 21% 21% 20% 24% 22% 41% 17% 24% 27% 28% 13% 27% 25% 28% 22% 38% 35% 35% 31% 31% 41% 30% 35% 53% 67% 59% 57% 53% 50% 52% 42% 45% 41% 56% 35% 35% 35% 24% 35% 0% Down Level Up The result in this suggests a recent swing towards a more negative aspect this could be a result of the ongoing economic climate and continuing public sector cuts although equally may be a result of the poor weather conditions earlier in the year or concerns over negative impacts from the Olympics. The balance currently is -11%, a small worsening from the ambivalent perspective seen in the previous two surveys (and a significantly more negative outlook than in December 2011). Overall though, the mood is not as negative as that seen throughout 2009 and April 2013 Page 24

27 Local Data c) Branding Marketing A new question asked for this edition of the Tourism Digest, is what people think about all the different brands that are important to the City Region. Which of these brands do you think are important for the LCR Football 17% Beatles 17% Culture 16% Festival events 15% Retail Destination 14% Maritime 8% World Heritage Site 8% Golf 7% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% The most common responses for this question were that people thought the most important brands for the City Region were the Football (17%) and the Beatles (17%). We would note though that respondents indicated that the Golf (7%) brand wasn t that important to the City Region. This is after taking into account that the City Region has two Royal Golf courses, which has held the Open Golf Championship several times over the past few years and has many more courses spread about the City Region. April 2013 Page 25

28 Local Data d) Awareness of International Festival for Business The International Festival of Business is a global gathering of the world s most inspiring businesses; an arena where pivotal industries converge to trade ideas, products and contacts. The festival will be an Olympics for business with hundreds of world-class events from June to July 2014 in Liverpool, attract a million visitors from across the globe, and bring 100 million worth of investment. It is an urban festival of commerce, bringing together cities from the North to the South, East to West in 61 days of events, exhibitions, showcases and celebrations. International Festival for Business 29% 71% Yes No More than two thirds of Visitor Economy businesses are aware of the International Festival of Business Respondents who answered Yes to the previous question were then asked, if the festival would create new opportunities for their business Do you think the International Festival for Business will create new opportunities for your business? Will the International Festival for Business create new opportunities for Liverpool City Region? During the festival Longer term Not at all Don't know 5.9% 11.8% 29.4% 52.9% During the festival itself Longer term Don't know 13.6% 45.5% 40.9% 0% 20% 40% 60% 0% 20% 40% 60% As you can see 53% of respondents, indicated that new opportunities could be created during the festival. This is compared to the 46% of respondents that agreed that the festival would create new opportunities for the City Region. April 2013 Page 26

29 Visitor Profile 3 Visitor Profile data A number of major surveys are conducted periodically by, which aids the tourism intelligence of the area. These include the Liverpool City Region Visitor Survey 23 and the Destination Benchmarking 24 survey. Within this section we present key data from both be aware the former represents the profile of visitors to the whole area, the latter just that of visitors to the city centre. 3.1 Visitor origin a) Day Visitors Visitors to the whole City Region % of day visitors Visitors to Liverpool City Centre % of day visitors City Region residents 36% City Region residents 37% Cheshire 13% Cheshire 8% Greater Manchester 16% Greater Manchester 19% Lancashire 13% Lancashire 15% Cumbria <1% Cumbria 1% Northeast <1% Northeast <1% Yorkshire 5% Yorkshire 5% East Midlands 3% East Midlands 1% West Midlands 8% West Midlands 6% London & Southeast 2% London & Southeast 2% Southwest <1% Southwest 1% Wales 4% Wales 2% Scotland 1% Scotland <1% Northern Ireland <1% Northern Ireland <1% 23 The Merseyside Visitor Survey is conducted every 5 years. Latest data is for The Liverpool Destination Benchmarking study is conducted on alternate years. Latest data is for 2012 April 2013 Page 27

30 Halton Knowsley Liverpool Sefton St.Helens Wirral Visitor Profile Day Visitor Origins - Summary 100% 90% 80% 8% 1% 1% 15% 14% 31% 29% 24% 70% 60% 50% 64% 32% 31% 59% 56% 32% Overseas 40% Further afield UK 30% 20% 10% 28% 37% 39% 26% 30% 44% Elsewhere NW Elsewhere City Region 0% Besides those living elsewhere in the city region, there were strong levels of day visits from Lancashire and Cheshire. To some extent these form part of the City Region s natural hinterland. Other major day visitor markets included Greater Manchester and Yorkshire (the latter thanks in part to good Trans-Pennine links); but we also see relatively high levels of day visitors from the West Midlands. For Wales, day visitors tend to be a reflection of visitors from the North Wales area; this extending as far as Gwynedd, rather than the whole principality. As indicated in the previous Digest, the timings now offered on the upgraded West Coast Main Line mean that there were day visitors from Greater London evident too. April 2013 Page 28

31 Visitor Profile b) Staying Visitors Visitors to the whole City Region % of staying visitors Visitors to Liverpool City Centre % of staying visitors City Region residents 6% City Region residents 1% Cheshire 5% Cheshire 2% Greater Manchester 3% Greater Manchester 2% Lancashire 5% Lancashire 1% Cumbria <1% Cumbria 2% Northeast 5% Northeast 2% Yorkshire 7% Yorkshire 5% East Midlands 9% East Midlands 4% West Midlands 8% West Midlands 3% London & Southeast 17% London & Southeast 13% Southwest 4% Southwest 5% Wales 2% Wales 2% Scotland 3% Scotland 6% Northern Ireland 5% Northern Ireland <1% Overseas 22% Overseas 49% April 2013 Page 29

32 Halton Knowsley Liverpool Sefton St.Helens Wirral Visitor Profile Staying Visitor Origins - Summary 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 50% 9% 64% 43% 12% 71% 23% 31% 8% 15% 69% Overseas Further afield UK 30% 20% 10% 0% 50% 18% 9% 52% 15% 1% 4% 2% 39% 13% 3% Elsewhere NW Elsewhere City Region There is a relatively low level of staying visitors from the Southwest, Northeast or Scotland; this may owe much to relatively poor direct transport links from these locations. There is strong evidence of London & the South East being important markets; in total, over a fifth of all staying visitors to Liverpool (21%) came from these areas. As evidence of a growing market, this was 15% in 2006 (more information on growth / decline by geography can be found in the previous Digest). Notice that overseas visitors form a very important part of the staying visitor market in Liverpool; less so elsewhere in the city region. c) Key Overseas Markets As evidenced above, overseas markets form a very important part of the inbound visitor market for Liverpool. Data from our Destination Benchmarking study suggests that the following were the top origins visiting Liverpool itself in Although Australia may be a surprise being placed so high on this list, data from Visit Britain has confirmed something of a boost for visits to the UK from that location during recent periods, partially a result of beneficial economy performance / exchange rates. % of all staying visitors Eire 7% USA 1% Australia 3% Germany 5% Spain 6% Netherland 1% France 2% Switzerland 1% Austria 1% Italy 2% Norway <1% Poland <1% April 2013 Page 30

33 Visitor Profile 3.2 Mode of transport Transport mode is an important aspect of understanding the visitor market. On the one hand, it may reflect where good linkages exist, with the potential for further visit generation; on the other hand, coupled with visitor origin, it may reveal where markets are underperforming due to lower than ideal levels of connectivity. This is especially important in the current climate, where twin pressures of costs and environmental concerns influence modal choice. Below we summarise transport choices both for day and staying visitors from key markets. a) Modal Choice: Day Visitors 4% 21% 34% 15% 14% 6% 9% 22% 15% 12% 14% 10% 15% 10% 6% 11% 23% 50% 78% 72% 67% 73% 71% 39% 47% 40% Within LCR Cheshire Lancs. Greater Manchester West Midlands Yorks N Wales London & Southeast Car/van/etc Train Scheduled Bus / Coach Coach tour / Private hire Ferry Plane Other b) Modal Choice: Staying Visitors 10% 7% 10% 8% 14% 10% 9% 10% 16% 6% 10% 10% 20% 17% 29% 5% 70% 57% 61% 65% 49% 6% 55% 42% 5% 11% 11% 40% 5% 10% 24% 23% NW England / N Wales London & SE Midlands Yorks & NE SW England & S Wales Ireland Overseas Car/van/etc Train Scheduled Bus / Coach Coach tour / Private hire Ferry Plane Other Note: percentages may add up to more than 100% as more than one mode of transport may have been involved in the trip. Also note that ferry covers both Mersey Ferry and Irish Sea routes, and that whilst plane may relate to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, it may also reflect on other UK gateways. March 2013 Page 31

34 Visitor Profile 3.3 Purpose of visit The data shows the key reasons behind the visit to the area. Note that this data shows the main reasons; the survey length unfortunately means that contributory reasons were not asked. It is worth noting that due to the survey methodology, the data shown probably undervalues the level of business and golf/sporting trips to the city region. Notice also that especially in the case of St.Helens, Events includes sporting events, such as horse racing at Haydock Park. a) Purpose: Day Visitors Halton Knowsley Liverpool Attractions 89% VFR 3% Explore area 3% Attractions 82% Events 14% VFR 2% Explore area 2% Sightseeing 41% Shopping 22% VFR 13% Attractions 5% Events 5% Sefton St.Helens Wirral Explore area 68% Attractions 15% Events 4% Shopping 8% VFR 3% Attractions 63% Events 20% Shopping 10% VFR 5% Explore area 2% Attractions 46% Explore area 45% VFR 6% Events 4% Shopping 1% b) Purpose: Staying Visitors Halton Knowsley Liverpool VFR 50% Attractions 50% Attractions 92% VFR 8% Sightseeing 60% VFR 13% Attractions 9% Events 7% Conferences 2% Sefton St.Helens Wirral Explore area 66% VFR 15% Events 9% Attractions 6% Golf 2% VFR 60% Events 20% Attractions 7% Shopping 7% Attractions 40% Explore area 27% VFR 27% Events 2% Cycling 2% March 2013 Page 32

35 Visitor Profile 3.4 Visitor Demographics In terms of the visitor age / gender composition, the data comes from asking about both the respondent and all the people in the group they were visiting the Liverpool City Region with. a) Day visitors Visitors to the whole City Region % of day visitors Visitors to Liverpool City Centre % of day visitors Children (<16) 31% Children (<16) 8% % % % % % % % % % 7.9% % 9.9% % 5.3% % 12.7% % 5.6% % 10.2% % 9.1% % 8.8% % 6.2% % 6.9% % 3.3% % 9.4% % 15.3% % 3.9% Male Female Male Female The proportion of children amongst day visitors was relatively high (31% across the whole city region, 8% in Liverpool City Centre) showing especially the importance of the family market, although clearly this is of greater significance to parts of the region outside the city centre. Note that there was a higher level of young adults (aged %) in the city centre. The city centre day visitor profile also showed a much higher female bias and a greater presence in the age groups. March 2013 Page 33

36 Visitor Profile b) Staying visitors Visitors to the whole City Region % of day visitors Visitors to Liverpool City Centre % of day visitors Children (<16) 14% Children (<16) 4% % % % % % % % % % 7.3% % 3.6% % 9.3% % 12.7% % 8.0% % 10.2% % 7.5% % 8.8% % 7.0% % 6.9% % 3.3% % 9.4% % 7.0% % 3.9% Male Female Male Female 14% of visitors staying in the city region were children; at the other end of the scale there were relatively low proportions aged 65 or older (13%). We see that just 4% of visitors staying in the city itself were children, although likewise a relatively high proportion of the staying audience were aged 65 or older (15%). Note that just 6% of visitors staying across the whole city region were aged 16-24, although this group is of far more importance in the city itself (20%). The age bracket forms a very important part of those staying in the city, an estimated 32%. March 2013 Page 34

37 Visitor Profile 3.5 Group Type Besides raw demographics, there is also the question as to which type of group visitors were with. Those visiting with their children made up over half of the total day trip market in the area (53%); those on a staying trip were most likely to be with their partner or spouse (41% - and this is even more likely in Liverpool itself, at 50%). a) Day visitors 60% 53% 50% 40% 39% 30% 20% 10% 0% 9% 9% On my own With family (incl. children) 7% 10% With family (excl. Children) 22% 24% With partner / spouse 12% 13% With friends 1% 6% Organised group Whole City Region Liverpool City Centre b) Staying visitors 60% 50% 40% 41% 50% 30% 20% 10% 6% 8% 27% 16% 10% 11% 20% 22% 3% 3% 0% On my own With family (incl. children) With family (excl. Children) With partner / spouse With friends Organised group Whole City Region Liverpool City Centre March 2013 Page 35

38 42% 46% 47% 52% 56% 54% 50% 59% 59% 58% 63% 63% 64% 67% 68% 72% 75% 73% 76% 77% 72% 72% 72% 73% 74% 75% 77% 67% 67% 71% 58% 61% 64% 49% 52% 56% National Data 4 National data Within this section of the report we turn to what national data tells us is happening in the visitor economy across the country. This helps us benchmark the city region s current performance and understand emerging trends. Much of this information comes from Visit Britain and Visit England s tourism intelligence pages, and links to a full range of data sources are provided within the appendix. In all cases, the data should be compared with the relevant local data, as provided earlier in this Digest. 4.1 Occupancy trends 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% England Hotel Room Occupancy Monthly Trends Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Source: England Occupancy Survey National data indicates that overall for this year to date occupancy figures are slightly up on last year (68% for August to December, compared to 65%in 2011). This is only of course the national picture; regions most likely to have seen an ongoing improvement were the Midlands, Southeast and East of England; London and the Northeast both appeared to show a drop in occupancy levels in the year to date figures. The Northwest region as a whole appeared relatively static; given the local occupancy results reported in section 2.1, this suggests a better performance by the Liverpool City Region than its nearby competitors. Growth in the year to date has mainly been recorded by small towns, with what appears to be a drop in occupancy levels for large towns and countryside locations. 80% Room occupancy (Aug - Dec) 60% 40% 20% 0% 70% 73% 64% 53% 60% 51% 51% 54% 43% 51% 56% 45% City / Large town Small town Seaside Countryside Source: England Occupancy Survey March 2013 Page 36

39 England average Country parks Farms Gardens Historic houses/castles Other historic properties Leisure/theme parks Museums/art galleries Steam/heritage railways Visitor/heritage centres Wildlife attractions/zoos % of attractions reporting a rise/drop in admissions Workplaces Places of worship Other -5% -6% -3% -3% -3% -1% -1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 5% 3% 5% 2% 3% 1% 2% 2% 4% 4% 6% 5% 6% 5% 5% 7% 9% 2% 4% 0% 6% 4% 7% 9% 2% 3% 10% 9% 9% 12% 15% National Data 4.2 Visits to attractions trends The chart below highlights changes in visitor growth to different attraction genres across the country. We note first of all that overall there have been three consecutive years where attractions have recorded growth in visits a net 5% of all attractions showed growth increasing visitor numbers from 2010 to 2011, building on a 3% rise the previous year and 5% in the year before that. Year on year change in visits to attractions, England 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% -5% -10% -15% -20% Source: Annual England Attractions Survey The graph suggests that over the last year growth across England has been strongest in visits to, Gardens, Historic Houses, Other Historic Properties and Places of worship. In the case of the former group, it is possible that this is connected to the current ongoing popularity of costume dramas such as Downton Abbey. There has also been strong growth in visitor numbers at Wildlife attractions. Growth has been weakest for Steam / Heritage Railways and a relatively neutral experience for Museums and Art Galleries. Note that despite the economic climate, +6% of paid attractions recorded a rise in admissions, against +1% of free attractions. March 2013 Page 37

40 London Manchester Birmingham Bristol Scarborough York Leeds Blackpool Liverpool Newcastle upon Tyne 11,093 2,613 2,251 1,828 1,645 1,615 1,493 1,478 1,428 1,303 National Data 4.3 Domestic visitors (GBTS) a) Overall results The Great Britain Tourist Survey (GBTS) is the main measure of the national volume of domestic tourism and is supported by the national tourist boards. GBTS 25 measures overnight trips, rather than the total domestic market. Data from the Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) indicates that Liverpool was the 9th most visited town/city in England by domestic tourists 26, with an estimated 1,428,000 overnight trips. This is an increase in one rank position from that seen in ,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, Top Towns: Staying visits (000s) by GB residents It is worth noting that as an absolute volume, this places Liverpool as being statistically similar to those destinations in 7 th and 8 th place in the rankings. Source: GBTS, Visit England Top 20 most visited English Cities & Towns by UK residents Town/City Visits (000s) Town/City Visits (000s) Town/City Visits (000s) 1 London 10,795 1 London 11,580 1 London 11,093 2 Manchester 2,743 2 Manchester 2,177 2 Manchester 2,613 3 Birmingham 2,358 3 Birmingham 2,059 3 Birmingham 2,251 4 Scarborough 1,765 4 Blackpool 1,717 4 Bristol 1,828 5 Bristol 1,761 5 Scarborough 1,495 5 Scarborough 1,645 6 Blackpool 1,504 6 Bristol 1,490 6 York 1,615 7 York 1,418 7 Leeds 1,478 7 Leeds 1,493 8 Leeds 1,378 8 York 1,374 8 Blackpool 1,478 9 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1,351 9 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1,244 9 Liverpool 1, Brighton and Hove 1, Liverpool 1, Newcastle upon Tyne 1, Isle of Wight 1, Isle of Wight 1, Sheffield 1, Liverpool 1, Skegness 1, Brighton and Hove 1, Nottingham 1, Nottingham Nottingham 1, Sheffield 1, Bournemouth Isle of Wight 1, Skegness 1, Brighton and Hove Bournemouth 1, Bournemouth Norwich Skegness Southampton Sheffield Southampton Great Yarmouth Southampton Norwich Oxford Bath Cambridge Plymouth Oxford Plymouth 745 Source: GBTS, Visit England 25 Note that the GBTS is primarily a national survey and not as accurate at destination level; whilst we would use our STEAM numbers at local level, the rank order is useful. 26 Defined as staying visitors from England, Scotland and Wales; those from Northern Ireland are no longer included in the survey (to reflect this, the survey is now known as GBTS previously it was UKTS ). March 2013 Page 38

41 Change from 2006 (100 = "No change") National Data b) Results from different markets The data shows that Liverpool is ranked 10th for pure holiday visits this is the same rank as achieved last year but the information within the survey suggests significant increase in visits. The city is ranked 8th though for business visits this is a big uplift from last year (when it was ranked 10 th ) and may reflect on major conferences in the city. Top Towns: Pure holiday staying trips (000s) ,000 1,500 Top Towns: Business staying trips (000s) London 3,704 London 2,860 Scarborough 1,256 Birmingham 786 Blackpool 1,209 Manchester 630 Manchester 924 Bristol 514 Skegness 902 Newcastle upon Tyne 357 York 816 Nottingham 273 Isle of Wight 738 York 244 Bournemouth 686 Liverpool 243 Great Yarmouth 553 Leeds 232 Liverpool 549 Cambridge 211 Source: GBTS, Visit England c) Trends GBTS: Trends Looking at the national trends observed by the GBTS, it appears that there has been strong growth in holiday overnight visits (possibly including the staycation impact). Against this, during the recession period, it seems that both VFR and staying business trips showed significant drops. These markets showed strong recovery during 2011, although both remained below historic levels Early messages for 2012 indicate that pure holiday trips may have been affected by the poor weather conditions experienced during the middle part of the year Holidays VFR Business Source: GBTS, Visit England A fuller briefing note on key messages from the GBTS is available on request from the LEP. March 2013 Page 39

42 London Edinburgh Manchester Birmingham Liverpool Glasgow Oxford Bristol Cambridge Leeds 15,289 1, National Data 4.4 Inbound visitors (IPS) a) Overall results The International Passenger Survey is conducted by ONS on behalf of Visit Britain. Passengers arriving through major airports (including LJLA), seaports and the Channel Tunnel are surveyed. The survey shows that Liverpool s ongoing growth as a visitor destination means it is now the 5 th -most visited city in Britain by overseas residents. This is the highest position the city has attained, having been 6 th since ,000 1,500 1,000 Top towns: Staying Visits (000s) by overseas visitors (IPS) The city recorded approximately 545,000 overseas staying visits in 2011, and is only behind London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham In terms of geographically close competitors (who might also feed our day visits market), Manchester recorded an estimated 936,000 overseas staying visits and Chester 135,000. Source: IPS, VisitBritain / ONS Top 20 most visited UK Cities & Towns by Overseas residents Town/City Visits (000s) Town/City Visits (000s) Town/City Visits (000s) 1 London 14,211 1 London London Edinburgh 1,324 2 Edinburgh Edinburgh Manchester Manchester Manchester Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham Glasgow Glasgow Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool Glasgow Bristol Oxford Oxford Oxford Bristol Bristol Cambridge Cambridge Cambridge Brighton / Hove Brighton / Hove Leeds Cardiff Bath Brighton / Hove Inverness Cardiff Cardiff Nottingham Inverness Aberdeen Leeds Newcastle-upon-Tyne Nottingham Aberdeen Nottingham Newcastle-upon-Tyne York York Bath Newcastle-upon-Tyne Leeds York Bath Aberdeen Inverness Canterbury Southampton Windsor Reading Windsor Canterbury 191 Source: IPS, VisitBritain / ONS March 2013 Page 40

43 National Data b) Results from different markets It is always useful to view the information by purpose of visit, and this shows that Liverpool is currently placed 5th in terms of pure holiday visits with c.188,000 staying visits it is not that far behind Manchester in this regards. The city is currently ranked 6 th in terms of Visiting Friends and relatives It is, however, placed lower in terms of business trips, being ranked 7 th ; an undoubted impact of the city s lower business base, although this is an improvement on earlier years. It is also worth noting that Liverpool is ranked 3 rd for international staying visits when viewing the other visit purpose category. What this topic actually includes is varied, but amongst items to be considered here are: Attending events (including sports); Trips where both work and holiday are the main reason; connecting to other ferries / flights / cruises. Top Towns: Pure holiday staying trips (000s) ,000 Top Towns: VFR staying trips (000s) London 7,577 London 3,399 Edinburgh 898 Manchester 248 Glasgow 251 Edinburgh 246 Manchester 212 Birmingham 175 Liverpool 188 Bristol 162 Inverness 183 Liverpool 153 Oxford 180 Cambridge 130 Birmingham 148 Oxford 122 Bath 143 Nottingham 110 Brighton / Hove 143 Leeds 108 Top Towns: Business staying trips (000s) Top Towns: "Other purpose" (000s) London 2,980 London 1,122 Birmingham 357 Manchester 149 Manchester 318 Liverpool 100 Edinburgh 158 Birmingham 44 Bristol 106 Edinburgh 29 Cambridge 105 Oxford 27 Liverpool 101 Leeds 27 Leeds 100 Cambridge 22 Oxford 98 Glasgow 19 Aberdeen 98 Newcastle 17 Source: IPS, VisitBritain / ONS March 2013 Page 41

44 Change from 2006 (100 = "No change") National Data c) Trends Looking at the trends reported nationally by the survey, this suggests an ongoing growth in pure holiday overseas visits to the UK IPS: Trends Much as with the domestic market though (see section 4.3) the level of staying visits generated by both VFR and business purposes showed large drops during the recession period. Again, these now show significant levels of recovery, but currently remain below historic levels Future growth may depend not just on success in attracting these markets to the UK, but also on the performance of origin markets economies, and this is explored in section Holiday VFR Business Source: IPS, VisitBritain / ONS Over the last few years, key growing markets have tended to be led by those countries with the strongest economies with recent evidence of growth from some of the emerging economies. Germany and the Netherlands both countries with relatively strong economic performance have generated growth in the Liverpool City Region visitor market. However amongst the emerging economies we also see growth from Russia and India (the sample size for China and Brazil is too low to determine local trends with any accuracy). Growth markets - local Fastest growing City Region visitor markets (current levels shown in brackets): Russia >100% (2,700) Denmark 25% (5,100) Germany 15% (35,500) Netherlands 14% (32,100) India 10% (3,000) Ireland 8% (130,900) UAE 8% (4,700) Japan 2% (3,900) Growth markets - national Fastest growing UK pure holiday markets By growth rate By volume change South Korea >50% Italy +146,000 Brazil >50% Australia +144,000 Russia >50% Sweden +100,000 China >50% Brazil +92,000 India >50% Belgium +60,000 A fuller briefing note on key messages from the IPS is available on request from the LEP. March 2013 Page 42

45 5,062 4,611 5,717 4,805 6,067 4, Change (indexed to 2006) Forecasts 5 Forecasts 5.1 Trends from the Liverpool City Region 3-year Action Plan The visitor economy has seen strong growth over the last few years, as evidenced earlier in this Digest. Despite current economic conditions, strong growth is still expected from the sector. The graph below shows the expected trends (indexed to 2006). Figures have been updated from the previous Digest, following the latest STEAM data (as noted in section 1) and known hotel developments. 150 Tourism growth trend - Liverpool City Region Staying Visitors Day Visitors Source: Destination Management Plan Certain components of change we already know; below we summarise the key hotel developments, both currently under way and those planned over the next few years. Hotel room stock Hotel establishments Liverpool City Centre Elsewhere City Region Liverpool City Centre Elsewhere City Region Source: Tourist board hotel stock data March 2013 Page 43

46 Forecasts 5.2 Economic outlook 2012 A key driver of what happens in the visitor economy is clearly going to be that of the wider economy. For this, we turn to the outlook from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is a tool updated twice a year latest data is shown as updated at April There are a number of different measures which can be used, but in order to gain a view as to overall economic health, we view changes in the unemployment rate and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. In the tables below, we show details for this indexed to 2007 (i.e., pre-recession), both for the UK and key inbound markets. In the case of the unemployment rate, this should be expected to decrease in an improving economy and GDP per capita would be expected to increase. (Figures colourised where greater than 5% positive / negative change relative to 2007) Unemployment rate Year UK Eire Spain France Germany USA Netherlands Poland Norway Italy Australia Source: IMF World Outlook, IMF / Visit Britain GDP per capita Year UK Eire Spain France Germany USA Netherlands Poland Norway Italy Australia Source: IMF World Outlook, IMF / Visit Britain Thus, at the moment, in terms of GDP growth, the UK looks like returning to pre recession levels around 2013, whilst other economies notably Ireland, but also Spain and Italy may take a longer time. This could impact on inbound visitors; but likewise a poor-performing domestic economy is likely to see the continued strength of staycations although of course the poorer weather conditions seen in 2012 may now mitigate against this. March 2013 Page 44

47 Articles 6 Articles 6.1 The importance of events As indicated in sections 2.5 and 3.3, events are an important part of what the City Region offers as a visitor destination. The tourist board maintains a database of key events where research has been conducted, and the following section of the Digest provides a summary of what this event benchmark tells us about the importance of the events market. Again, as with much of visitor research, this data excludes those who were residents of the district where the event was held. Note: For event organisers, England s Northwest Research Service can provide a service benchmarking their own event against details of this database, including satisfaction scores, visitor profiles, origins, marketing channels used and economic impact. a) Audience Origin Obviously, much will depend on the genre of event, but it is clear that the events held in the city region see a wide audience from different geographies. Naturally, there is a strong attendance from within the city region and its hinterland (including North Wales), but we also see visitors from further afield. Especially strong here are the London and Southeast areas, but in truth visitors from all areas of the UK were recorded at the events. Note that an estimated 9% of all event attendees came from overseas. This reflects on the wide range of visitors indicated as visiting the destination (see section 3.1), and covers (amongst others) Ireland, North America and Western Europe. Overseas, 9% Origin - all event attendees St.Helens, 4% Lancashire, 11% Elsewhere UK, 22% Liverpool City Region, 37% Liverpool, 5% Sefton, 10% Wirral, 10% Greater Manchester, 11% Cheshire, 10% Knowsley, 5% Halton, 3% March 2013 Page 45

48 Public transport Suitability of event venue Overall enjoyment Event quality Value for money Organisation & staff Other facilities Parking facilities Publicity & promotion Event signposting Articles b) Demographics There are also a wide range of visitors evident from different age groups attending the city region events, and this is highlighted below. Again, we would emphasise that this is an overall benchmark, and we would expect significant variance by event genre. As in the overall visitor profile, we can see that the family audience is clearly strong (13% of all event attendees being children under the age of 16). This is an aspect which we may have expected to be higher than in previous years, given the ongoing trend for Staycations and Daycations ; the squeeze on household budgets means families look for free and value for money activities/trips closer to home. Age Group % of all event attendees Children (<16) 13% Aged % Aged % Aged % Aged % to to to to to to 15 6 to 10 0 to 5 5.4% 6.0% 7.2% 8.0% 6.9% 8.2% 2.3% 2.4% 1.9% 6.7% 6.8% 7.3% 8.6% 7.3% 8.2% 2.1% 2.5% 2.2% Male Female c) Satisfaction with events in the City Region 36% 92% 89% 29% 86% 84% 73% 43% 37% 32% -1% -1% -1% -1% -1% -2% -3% -5% -24% -32% Negative Positive Overall event attendees showed high satisfaction levels and this was especially the case regarding the suitability of venues and overall enjoyment. Two areas that consistently emerge as messages for event organisers are levels of publicity and promotion (this especially being mentioned by visitors staying in the area who happened upon the event, not realising it was taking place) and signposting. For out-of-town events, signposting was commented on by motorists; for those based in town centres, inadequate signage from public transport terminals was the main issue. March 2013 Page 46

49 Articles d) The Geographical draw of events We have already seen above the origin of all attendees, but a crucial part of understanding the impact of any event is to view the origin of those drawn to the destination specifically by the event. Perhaps as might be expected, the draw is more likely to include those who are local to the area and its hinterland; 45% of those attending events came from within the City Region, with a further 32% coming from other parts of Northwest England. This should not be to deny the significant numbers coming from further afield though. In terms of those associated with the day visitor markets, events drew in numbers from the West Midlands, Yorkshire and North Wales; whilst looking at staying visitors we see a significant presence of visitors from London and overseas (6% of event attendees attracted to the city region primarily by events came from overseas markets). Overseas, 6% Origin - attendees 'drawn' by events Elsewhere UK, 17% Sefton, 12% St.Helens, 5% Lancashire, 10% Liverpool City Region, 45% Liverpool, 5% Wirral, 12% Greater Manchester, 10% Cheshire, 11% Knowsley, 6% Halton, 3% March 2013 Page 47

50 Category of expenditure Articles e) Spend of event visitors Undoubtedly, events can have a significant economic impact on an area, and at least partially this comes from the expenditure that they made during their visit. Here we focus on the spend made by those groups of visitors who indicated that the event had been their main reason for visiting the area; with many events in the area taking place in the public realm, there can often be many passers-by amongst those attending, including shoppers and sightseers to name two; it would be an unfair evaluation to count these towards an economic impact. Mean spend per person drawn by event Accommodation Shopping Food & drink Entertainment & attractions Travel & transport Other spend Staying visitors Day visitors Staying visitors drawn to the city region by events spent (on average) per person on their trip. Day visitors drawn to the city region by events spent (on average) per person on their trip. As a general comment, in the current economic climate these spend levels may be depressed below what otherwise would be seen. Also be aware that the staying visitor average expenditure will include those staying for free with friends and family, as well as those using paid accommodation such as hotels and serviced apartments. March 2013 Page 48

51 England Accom. England Attractions LCR Businesses Articles 6.2 Tourism Business Confidence Nationally Data from Visit England provides a barometer in terms of national business performance; at different points in the year 500 accommodation providers and 300 visitor attractions are asked for their recent performance and expectations for the short-term. To some extent this can be contrasted with the LEPs own How s Business survey (see section 2.8). a) Performance of the Domestic Visitor market Accommodation providers Attractions 30% 30% 20% 20% 10% 0% -10% 26% 22% 14% 18% 24% -28% -35% -41% -38% -35% Down 10% 0% -10% 28% 30% 17% 23% 26% -11% -20% -29% -18% -14% Down -20% Up -20% Up -30% -30% -40% -40% Source: Visit England Tourism Business Monitor, Wave The data seems to suggest that nationally visitor attractions have seen a more optimistic year than accommodation providers in terms of domestic visitors. For both market sectors the period up to and including the summer showed a drop in domestic trade this may be connected both to the Olympics and weather conditions. Significantly, September suggested a return to a more positive trend. Note also that the result within the Liverpool City Region tended to mirror the national levels for domestic visitors, with a net ambivalent mood. 30% 20% 10% 0% -10% -20% -30% -40% Comparison: 24% 26% 22% -35% -14% -35% Down Up Sources: Visit England Tourism Business Monitor / LEP How s Business Survey March 2013 Page 49

52 England Accom. England Attractions LCR Businesses Articles b) Performance of the Overseas Visitor market Accommodation providers Attractions 30% 30% 20% 20% 10% 0% -10% 25% 23% 22% 19% 21% -21% -30% -32% -34% -33% Down 10% 0% -10% 21% 28% 25% 23% 25% -22% -24% -22% -30% -23% Down -20% Up -20% Up -30% -30% -40% -40% Source: Visit England Tourism Business Monitor, Wave When switching to look at the experience of the overseas visitor market, data seems to suggest that nationally performance has dropped throughout the year (although as we saw when looking at domestic visitors, the experience of visitor attractions has been more positive than accommodation providers.) Verbatim comments seem to associate some of this downturn with the Olympics. Comparing the results with the local data suggests that the Liverpool City Region has tended to outperform national levels in terms of growth of overseas visitors. 30% 20% 10% 0% -10% -20% -30% -40% Comparison: 21% 23% 14% -33% -25% -36% Down Up Sources: Visit England Tourism Business Monitor / LEP How s Business Survey March 2013 Page 50

53 Easter 2012 Jun-12 Jul-12 Sep-12 Nov-12 Easter 2012 Jun-12 Jul-12 Sep-12 Nov-12 Articles c) Business confidence Accommodation providers Attractions 100% 100% 90% 90% 80% 80% 70% 70% 60% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 42% 48% 46% 50% 48% 50% 40% 30% 20% 58% 60% 65% 58% 51% 10% 0% 41% 32% 28% 32% 25% 10% 0% 29% 24% 16% 27% 34% Very confident Fairly confident Very confident Fairly confident Source: Visit England Tourism Business Monitor, Wave When asked about their expectations for the next period, businesses nationally both accommodation and attractions appeared significantly more likely in September to have positive expectations, after falling confidence levels in the early surveys. This may suggest a return to levels of growth. March 2013 Page 51

54 Articles 6.3 News In response to requests from some of our businesses, within this section of the report we present some of the key aspects that have impacted on the local visitor economy over the last 12 months and look at some of the known milestones in the year ahead. We also indicate some of the current activity by the research team, which may be of interest. Clearly we cannot cover every single one of the many items involved, but if you know of something which should be included here, do let us know about it. a) The Past 12 Months Hotel Openings Jun 2011 Jul 2011 Feb 2012 May 2012: Hotel Indigo, Chapel Street, opens 151 rooms. Travelodge, New Brighton, opens 66 rooms. Travelodge, The Strand, opens 141 rooms. Holiday Inn Express, Hoylake, opens 56 rooms Major new events: Oct 2011: Apr 2012: Inaugural Liverpool Marathon: The first ever Liverpool Marathon, starting in Birkenhead Park and finishing on the Liverpool Waterfront, recorded over 5,000 runners and was cheered on by thousands of spectators. Giant Spectacular: A three-day piece of street theatre featuring three giant puppets and inspired by the Titanic, watched by an estimated 600,000 people. May-Aug 2012: Rolf Harris: Can you tell what it is yet? A major retrospective of the artist / musician / TV personality, featuring paintings, memorabilia and more at the Walker Art Gallery; recording very high visitor numbers. Other: Nov 2011: Mar 2012: Jan 2012: Apr 2012: May 2012 Open Eye Gallery moves to key waterfront location KLM air link to Amsterdam closes. Wirral officially opens the Wirral Circular Trail, a 35-mile cycling and walking trail skirting the coastline and taking in key parts of Wirral s countryside. Stena complete 4m upgrade of passenger ferries on its Liverpool (Birkenhead)-Belfast route First turnaround cruise departs Liverpool Cruise terminal, following DfT approval and construction of check-in facilities. March 2013 Page 52

55 Articles b) The next 12 months Hotel Openings Mar 2013: Apr 2013: Apr 2013: Apr 2013: Apr 2013: July 2013: Aug 2013: Oct 2013: Adagio, Lewis s Building, due to open (126 rooms) Signature Hotel, due to open (12 units) Travelodge, Exchange Street East, due to open (125 rooms) The Richmond, Hatton Gardens, due to open (51 rooms) 2 Liverpool Hotels, due to open Hoax, 5 star, hostel, Stanley Street (282 rooms) Ibis Dale Street due to open (122 rooms) Doubletree by Hilton, due to open (87 rooms) Major events: Mar 2013: April 2013 May 2013: Jun 2013: Jun 2013: Jun-Oct 2013: August 2013: Festival of Enterprise John Smiths Grand National, Aintree 70th Anniversary, Battle of the Atlantic UNISON Conference at the BT Convention Centre Mersey River Festival Mark Chagall exhibition at Tate Liverpool Liverpool International Music Festival Other: Apr 2013: May 2013: Norwegian Airlines inaugural service from Copenhagen to Liverpool The Atkinson, Southport opens c) Research Activity The following is activity underway by the research team on behalf of the tourist board: Hotel Occupancy interpretation STEAM data collection March 2013 Page 53

56 Appendices Appendix i: Further reference sources The homepage of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, with links to all the documents we produce. The research part of the VisitEngland website; includes many useful research elements included the short-term tourism tracker, England Occupancy Survey (EOS) and attractions monitor. The trade website for VisitBritain; you can follow a link on this page to Insights & Statistics for the national market research they gather, which includes inbound visitor statistics and domestic tourism statistics, as well as useful country profiles. The Civil Aviation Authority has pages containing details of all UK airport passenger numbers (including Liverpool John Lennon Airport) both in total and by route. The European Travel Commission; aimed at industry, government and educational personnel interested in tourism to Europe, with link to market intelligence reports and studies. Eurostat the official statistics website from the European Commission, including a section of the website devoted to tourism with statistics and publications. Impacts 08 European Capital of Culture research programme evaluating the social, cultural, economic and environmental effects of Liverpool s hosting the European Capital of Culture title in Reports available for download. The UK Statistics Authority; contains details and links to a range of information resources across all topics and areas. For transport-related data visit For labour market data visit March 2013 Page 54

57 Appendices Appendix ii: SIC codes defining the visitor economy The Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC) shown below are those which are chosen as best representing the visitor economy. Inevitably, there will be some overlap, with some businesses in these sectors performing wholly non-tourism related functions and some businesses in sectors not included having a tourism focus : Taxi operation 5010 : Sea and coastal passenger water transport 5030 : Inland passenger water transport 5510 : Hotels and similar accommodation 5520 : Holiday and other short stay accommodation 5530 : Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks 5590 : Other accommodation 5610 : Restaurants and mobile food service activities 5621 : Event catering activities 5629 : Other food service activities 5630 : Beverage serving activities 7711 : Renting and leasing of cars and light motor vehicles 7721 : Renting and leasing of recreational and sports goods 7912 : Tour operator activities 7990 : Other reservation service and related activities 8230 : Convention and trade show organizers 9001 : Performing arts 9002 : Support activities to performing arts 9003 : Artistic creation 9004 : Operation of arts facilities 9102 : Museum activities 9103 : Operation of historical sites and buildings & similar visitor attractions 9104 : Botanical and zoological gardens and nature reserve activities 9311 : Operation of sports facilities 9321 : Activities of amusement parks and theme parks 9329 : Other amusement and recreation activities For full detail of all SIC codes and their structure, the following document may be of use: March 2013 Page 55

58 Appendices Appendix iii: Crude guide to statistical confidence levels In much of the survey data that is presented within the Digest and other research publications, the results are indicative of the views, activities and behaviour of respondents. The question arises at some point as to how likely are these results to apply to the universe ; what is the potential that those surveyed are not truly representative of the population as a whole? There are two tables shown. The first gives the range around a particular percentage result within which one can be confident that the true result across the whole population lies; the second shows the minimum difference you would need between two results to be confident that there was really a difference. These tables are based on the following assumptions: o o The samples have been randomly drawn (in actuality this is never true in survey research, because there is always an element of refusal to cooperate - but, for practical purposes it is standard to assume that it is true). The degree of confidence is 95%. This means that there is still a 5% chance that the result is outside of the range by chance. 95% is used as it has become the convention in balancing degree of confidence against cost of data collection. Table 1. Confidence in a single percentage result. The +/- figures show the variation around the result (left hand column) that applies for each chosen sample size. Thus a survey result of 40% from a sample of 500 would mean that we were 95% confident that the true result across the whole population lies between 35.7% and 44.3%. % result Sample Size ,000 5,000 50% +/- 9.8% +/- 6.9% +/- 4.4% +/- 3.1% +/- 1.4% 40% / 60% +/- 9.6% +/- 6.8% +/- 4.3% +/- 3.0% +/- 1.4% 30% / 70% +/- 9.0% +/- 6.4% +/- 4.0% +/- 2.8% +/- 1.3% 20% / 80% +/- 7.8% +/- 5.5% +/- 3.5% +/- 2.5% +/- 1.1% 10% / 90% +/- 5.9% +/- 4.2% +/- 2.6% +/- 1.9% +/- 0.8% 5% / 95% +/- 4.3% +/- 3.0% +/- 1.9% +/- 1.4% +/- 0.6% Table 2. Confidence in a difference between two percentage results. The +/- figures show the difference from the first result (left hand column) that the second result needs to display. Thus if the first survey result was 40% from a sample of 500, the second result would have to be either over 46.1% or under 33.9% for us to be 95% confident that there was a true difference in 27 the population at large. % result Sample Size ,000 5,000 50% +/-13.9% +/- 9.8% +/- 6.2% +/- 4.4% +/- 2.0% 40% / 60% +/-13.6% +/- 9.6% +/- 6.1% +/- 4.3% +/- 1.9% 30% / 70% +/-12.7% +/- 9.0% +/- 5.7% +/- 4.0% +/- 1.8% 20% / 80% +/-11.1% +/- 7.8% +/- 5.0% +/- 3.5% +/- 1.6% 10% / 90% +/- 8.3% +/- 5.9% +/- 3.7% +/- 2.6% +/- 1.1% 5% / 95% +/- 6.0% +/- 4.3% +/- 2.7% +/- 1.9% +/- 0.9% 27 Footnote to this table. These are approximations - for guidance only. The precise difference required for the second percentage will vary with whether it is below or above the first percentage) March 2013 Page 56

59 Appendices Appendix iv: Details of available publications A. Tourism publications The following documents are available to download by going to the visitor economy section of our website at Destination Plans: Liverpool City Region 3 year Action Plan Liverpool City Region Visitor Economy Strategy to 2020 Research: The latest research publications, including the Digest will also be kept here. Other news: The Biz publication featuring news and views for tourism businesses across the Liverpool City Region, B. Other publications The following documents are available to download from the Key Documents section of the website at You can also Visit the Facts and Figures section of VisitLiverpool.biz: Research: Economic Review 2012 Sectors Visitor Economy 3 Year Action Plan Low Carbon Economy Action Plan Superport Action Plan Knowledge Economy Plan Please note: content on the website is subject to updates and restructure; downloads available by the time this Digest is issued may reflect more recent version of the above. March 2013 Page 57

60 England's Northwest Research Service provides a comprehensive service designed to provide the best intelligence for businesses within the City Region and further afield, with a particular focus on sectors connected to tourism and economic development. The in-house research agency provides a wide range of market research services to an array of clients across the Northwest of England. The service produces exceptional bespoke market research tailored to organisations needs which is value driven. Effective research can provide the foundation for understanding your customers/clients, gathering up-to-date market information, reviewing options, allowing for objective and informed decision making. Amongst our services are: Satisfaction surveys Marketing impact studies Economic impact assessment Branding and positioning research Customer segmentation Event evaluation Benchmarking Economic reviews Proposition testing Geographic-based research Research is undertaken in a variety of ways dependant on the project and may include face-toface fieldwork, web/ surveys, postal surveys, omnibus studies, depth interviews, desk research, focus groups and hall tests. Over the past five years the research service has conducted more than 200 studies, with clients including: Tate Liverpool, MerseyBio, The National Trust, National Museums Liverpool, Merseytravel, Heineken and Albert Dock (Gower St Estates). Research Opportunities Priced on request dependant on requirements Sponsored Questions There are also opportunities to buy into dedicated visitor surveys which include: Gateway survey Destination benchmarking Tourism business performance survey This Digest has been compiled by England s Northwest Research Service, the in-house research team at the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership. The team produce numerous key publications for the region, including the annual Economic Review, as well as managing many regular research projects including Liverpool Destination Benchmarking and the Liverpool John Lennon Airport Gateway study. England s Northwest Research Service is operated by: The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership 12 Princes Parade Liverpool L3 1BG research@liverpoollep.org March 2013 Page 58

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