Page 677 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

Members of Kalush Orchestra have served in the military since Russia invaded Ukraine
YARA NARDI/REUTERS
Liverpool’s bid may have been helped by its connection to Odesa, in southern Ukraine. The

cities have been twinned since 1957. Celebrating the announcement, Gennadiy Trukhanov, the

mayor of Odesa, said that Liverpool knew how to “make the world dance and sing”.

He said: “Next year all musical roads of Europe will lead to your city, and we are happy that not

only the Eurovision contest will decorate Liverpool, but the city itself will adorn the event too.”

Hosting the competition will be a boon for Liverpool, whose economy has become heavily

reliant on tourism since the decline of the docks in the 1960s. Like Glasgow in 1990, Liverpool
was the recipient of the European Capital of Culture award in 2008, which was instrumental in

spurring a revitalisation of the city. However, since the pandemic, visitor spending in Liverpool

has dropped by £3 billion from £4.7 billion in 2019.

Liverpool’s place in the pantheon of musical cities was assured when it produced the Beatles

and its other well-known acts have included Gerry and the Pacemakers in the 1960s, Frankie

Goes to Hollywood in the 1980s and the rock band The Wombats more recently.