Posted On: 05/05/2015
By: Dale Roberts
There are many reasons to be proud of our great city, none more so than our ever increasing and growing tourism industry. In 2013 it was estimated that visitors spend 3.64 Billion per year when in our city, and 49,000 jobs were created and preserved through tourism alone. We have our football teams, theatres, historical attractions like The Ferry Across the Mersey and of course our great museums. As a city we have so much appeal, but none more-so than 4 boys from the 60s who changed music on this planet forever and put Liverpool on the map globally.
You know how it is, you go abroad and you get chatting to someone and you say “I’m from Liverpool” only to get shouted at you “THE BEATLES!!” – At which point it’s mandatory to tell a dubious fib “creative story” about Paul McCartney going on a date with your auntie and John Lennon being good mates with your granddad. Worldwide, we are famous for birthing the greatest band in history and they left us with what appears to be an everlasting money-maker. Like the gobstopper from Willy Wonka’s factory… but with dough, which of course is much better.
Liverpool had some difficult times after the war, struggling to rebuild itself while others would rather we failed (looking at you Thatcher) but in 1990 we saw the opening of The Beatles Story on the Albert dock. Last week I had the honour and privilege of attending a party to celebrate its 25th anniversary alongside many of the original Quarrymen (The band who would later become the Beatles) and Pete Best, the original Beatles drummer. I heard an emotional speech from the founder of The Beatles Story, Mike Byrne, and his wife Bernie and how they struggled to open such an attraction in the city at a time when tourism was flagging. It was poignant to look back and see just how far the city has come in that time.
As people in this city even if we don’t appreciate the Beatles music, even if we take issue with famous comments from Ringo Star about the city, even if we don’t like Paul McCartney or don’t know what John Lennon stood for – There is no denying our city is a richer and greater place because of their legacy. The Beatles Story is still going strong and attracts roughly 300,000 people per year through its doors. You can see the Cavern Club packed every night of the week still and you will always see “The Fab Four Taxi Tours” up and down Penny Lane – Beatles tourism is here to stay in this city and as people who live in it we should be extremely proud of our great musical heritage and welcome our visitors with open arms whenever we come across them.
The Beatles StoryAlbert DockBritannia VaultsAlbert DockLiverpool
L3 4AD
Tel: +44 (0)151 709 1963
Email: info@beatlesstory.com
Follow Dale on Twitter
XOXO
If you would like to advertise with Scouse Bird Problems please visit the ‘Contact us’ form on the website, or click the image below and request a media pack.
Hey birds and boys, just leave me your contact details and you won’t miss a single article I post XOXO
