Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on tourism for (1) Liverpool, and (2) the wider North West region, of the UNESCO World Heritage Site status of that city’s waterfront.
We know from the excellent report prepared by the UK National Commission for UNESCO that UNESCO designations such as World Heritage status are worth over £150 million a year to communities across the UK and in its Overseas Territories, as well as contributing to sustainable development and other policy goals. We do not have a precise figure which can be attributed to the world heritage site of Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City, but we know that many international tourists are keen to visit the UK’s 32 world heritage sites, with concomitant economic benefits across the tourism and hospitality sector.