THE IMPACT OF LIVERPOOL EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2008 ON MERSEYSIDE TOURISM BUSINESSES Creative Industries and Creative Communities 2009 Stoke on Trent.

THE IMPACT OF LIVERPOOL EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2008 ON MERSEYSIDE TOURISM

BUSINESSES

Creative Industries and Creative Communities 2009Stoke on Trent

11th November 2009

Giles A. BarrettLiverpool John Moores University

&

David McEvoy Liverpool John Moores University & University of Bradford

ABSTRACT:

Culture is a widespread feature of contemporary urban regeneration strategies. This paper examines how one major cultural event, Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008, affected tourism businesses in the Merseyside region. The initial purpose of the European Cities (later Capital) of Culture programme was to highlight the cultural wealth and diversity of European cities. The panel selecting Liverpool as Capital of Culture for 2008 emphasised its architecture, its visual arts tradition, its pop music pedigree, its sporting excellence, and its commitment to new media.  This study collected qualitative interview and questionnaire data from 6 key informants and 54 businesses: 29 providing visitor accommodation, 15 visitor attractions, and 10 others (retail, transport, restaurants). Twenty-four businesses were located in Liverpool, and the other 30 in surrounding local authorities. Businesses were overwhelmingly positive about the region’s experience of Capital of Culture, with positive opinions even more common in Liverpool than elsewhere. The most common positive impact identified was improved perception of Liverpool and Merseyside. The most common contributions to these effects were held to be three celebrations of creativity: Tate Liverpool’s Klimt exhibition; 125 geographically-dispersed miniature reinterpretations of Taro Chiezo’s Superlambanana sculpture; and the extraordinary five-day French performance art invasion/occupation of the city centre by the perambulatory 15-metre mechanical spider La Princesse. Despite wholesale approval of Capital of Culture businesses ranked it only eighth of eleven factors contributing to regional prosperity. They found it difficult to disentangle its influence from that of other recent developments in the city and region such as the Arena and Conference Centre, the Liverpool One Shopping Centre, and the Cruise Liner Terminal, all of which opened during 2007 and 2008. The onset of the credit crunch during 2008 further complicates matters.  Thirty-one of 49 clear responses indicated an increase in turnover during 2008, and only eight reported decline. About 85% of firms in Liverpool saw turnover increase, but only about 45% elsewhere. Expectations of turnover decline in 2009 run at about twice the level of expectations of increase. Subsequently pessimism decreases, with over half of firms expecting growing turnover in 2012 and 2013. Capital of Culture has contributed substantially to Liverpool’s self-esteem and appears to have added to the economic stimulus to tourism resulting from related economic and cultural initiatives. Disentangling relative contributions is however problematic. The effects are however geographically uneven, and there is no indication that cultural measures are substantial enough to resolve long-term regeneration problems.

Culture is a widespread feature of contemporary urban regeneration

strategies This paper examines how one major cultural event, Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008, affected

tourism businesses in the Merseyside region

Some tourism businesses may themselves be part of cultural activity (e.g. theatres, galleries, restaurants)

while others may not (e.g. hotels, shops)

Purpose of European Cities (later Capitals) of Culture Programme: to highlight the

cultural wealth and diversity of European cities

1985 Athens1986 Florence1987 Amsterdam1988 (West) Berlin1989 Paris1990 Glasgow1991 Dublin1992 Madrid1993 Antwerp1994 Lisbon1995 Luxembourg1996 Copenhagen1997 Thessalonica1998 Stockholm

1999 Weimar 2000 Avignon, Bergen, Bologna,

Brussels, Helsinki, Krakow, Reykjavik, Prague, Santiago de Compostela

2001 Porto, Rotterdam2002 Bruges, Salamanca2003 Graz2004 Genoa, Lille2005 Cork2006 Patras2007 Luxembourg, Sibiu2008 Liverpool, Stavanger2009 Vilnius, Linz

Selection panel emphasised Liverpool’s

Architecture

Visual arts tradition

sporting excellence

new media

And yeah, yeah, yeah!Liverpool’s musical tradition

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffdalt/3362754524/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4737carlin/1297687551/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yod/3413754131/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/a1exhughe5/467224886/

For copyright reasons

the photos in the

internet links

shown in this slide cannot be

reproduced here – but you can access

them by pasting the links into

your browser

This study uses qualitative interview and internet questionnaire data

Interviews: 6 key informants and 11 businesses: 29 Internet questionnaires: 43

further businessesThe 54 businesses comprised:

29 providing visitor accommodation 15 visitor attractions (but no national

museums)10 others (retail, transport, restaurants)

Twenty-four businesses in Liverpool30 in surrounding local authorities

How positive or negative would you say Liverpool

being European Capital of Culture 2008 has been for

Liverpool and Merseyside?

Businesses overwhelmingly

positive about the region’s

experience of ECoC 2008 Column % Totals Liverpool Elsewhere

Very positive

50.9 58.3 44.8

Positive 41.5 25 55.2

Neutral 5.7 12.5 0

Negative 1.9 4.2 0

Very negative

0 0 0

Totals 100(53) 100(24) 100(29)

Very positive opinions even more common in Liverpool

than elsewhere

Big firms more positive than small firms

Attractions more positive than hotels or

other businesses

Most common positive

Impacts of ECoC 2008

identified as three

celebrations of culture

1.The Klimt

exhibition

2. La Princesse50 feet high

37 tonsCrew of 12

Appeared 3-7 September

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liverpool08/2921989066/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony-hopkinson/2838774637/

For copyright reasons the

photos in the internet links shown in this slide cannot

be reproduced here – but you

can access them by

pasting the links into your

browser

3. The Superlambananas

The original at LJMU

© David J Colbran – www.djcdesign.co.uk

Some of the 125 miniatureshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/john_kennan/2655887513/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliejohnson/2601229379/

For copyright reasons the photos in the internet

links shown in this slide cannot be reproduced

here – but you can access them by pasting the links

into your browser

Hunting in packs

http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_kennan/2656712544/

For copyright reasons the photo in the internet link shown in this slide cannot

be reproduced here – but you can access it by pasting the link into your

browser

Neither Klimt nor La Princesse were expressions of local creativity

Note that these were events created for 2008 – and at least two could have been done elsewhere

The superlambananas were the result of a local artist creating a full-size

version of a Japanese artist’s four inch model –

but until 2008 the original was not a major part of the Liverpool image –

and the replicas were new

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Liverpool Elsewhere

Percent change in turnover

Up

No changeor down

31 of 49 clear answers reported turnover increase in 2008 - only 8 reported decline –

but major geographical differences

Other recent developments

1. Arena & Convention Centre2. Liverpool One Shopping3. Cruise Liner Terminal

http://www.flickr.com/photos/petecarr/2535605419/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/petecarr/2911726613/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barneyfinlayson/2852181473/

For copyright reasons the photos in the internet links shown in this slide cannot be reproduced here – but you can access them by

pasting the links into your browser

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

ECoC 2008 ACCL LiverpoolOne

CreditCrunch

Percent of resonses positive

Liverpool

Elsewhere

Please indicate how the following factors influenced your turnover during 2008

But impact on turnover of individual businesses in 2008 is one thing – impact on regional prosperity is

quite another

0 20 40 60 80 100

Other sport

European football

Museums & galleries

ECoC

Cruise Liner Terminal

Beatles

Grand National

Premiership football

ACC

Objective 1

Airport

Percent of those giving an opinion rating factor absolutely vital or very important

Despite wholesale approval of Capital of Culture businesses ranked it only

eighth of eleven factors

adding to regional prosperit

yECoC contribution to city and region invaluable - but long-term prosperity needs more persistent

drivers

Impact of Credit Crunch

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Reported or expected turnover increase

% of answers

No. of firms providing answer increases from 21 in 2003 to 49 in 2008 – declines to 16 in 2013

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Liverpool Elsewhere

Percent of businesses

in place

Quite wellor betterAdequatelyor worse

How well did the

Liverpool Culture

Company organise

Liverpool's year as

European Capital of Culture 2008?

“I was previously sceptical, but they did a good job”

“It took a while for it to get going … but it did deliver a very strong year in the end and much of their work was

outstanding” “I was disillusioned beforehand …but the year went better

than anybody could have imagined”.

ECoC contributed greatly to

Liverpool’s self-esteem

And has added to stimulus to tourism

resulting from related economic and cultural

initiativesBut disentangling

relative contributions is problematic, and

effects are geographically

uneven

There is no indication that cultural measures

are substantial enough in themselves to resolve

long-term regeneration problems

Liverpool did ECoC very well, but it only worked because city and region already had a strong

cultural infrastructure and an ongoing programme of new investments

Conclusions

The local infrastructure is more important than the events – at least some of which can be imported