Page 898 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

Anchored by the waterfront, the M&S Bank Arena will stage nine shows punctuated by

the three big televised events: semi-final one on Tuesday (which Ireland competes in),

semi-final two on Thursday and the grand final on Saturday.

It’s a big deal, this Eurovision hosting business. It has taken a rigorously scrutinised city

bidding process, months of planning, eye-watering investment from councils, tourist
boards and committees, not to mention a complex equation of sufficient hotel beds,

transport demands and a world-class arena that can be booked exclusively for an entire

month. But the pay-off appears to be worth it. The Italian city of Turin reported a

positive impact to the tune of €100 million for hosting in 2022, with each euro spent by

tourists generating more than €2 in the city area and an equivalent advertising value of
€66 million. Turin received more than 50,000 fans, many on first-time visits. Liverpool

this week is expecting double that figure.

But the city is used to big numbers — its rich cultural, sporting and musical heritage

tempts 60 to 70 million visitors annually. Whether you’ve nabbed contest tickets or not,

Liverpool is always deserving of a visit, with many layers to uncover in what is, for

Ireland, one of the easiest-to-reach parts of the UK.

For one of the UK’s largest metropolitan areas with one of the biggest population

densities in the UK, what you’ll notice about Liverpool city centre is how walkable it is.

From Albert Dock to Lime Street Station is a neat 20-minute stroll on one axis and it’s a
similar walk from Moorfields to the Baltic Triangle on the other — and the entirety of

the city centre falls between these main points.