THE IMPACT OF LIVERPOOL EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2008 ON MERSEYSIDE TOURISM BUSINESSES Creative...
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Transcript of THE IMPACT OF LIVERPOOL EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2008 ON MERSEYSIDE TOURISM BUSINESSES Creative...
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