The Giants’ second visit to Liverpool proved to be a prosperous one, with the economic impact calculated at an estimated £46m.

People flocked to the city centre last July from all over the world, with visitors travelling from as far as Australia and Hong Kong to Memories of August 1914, the latest offering from Giant Spectacular recalling the events of the First World War.

The Giants were produced and operated by French company Royal De Luxe and featured towering representations of an old woman, a little girl and her dog Xolo.

The five day event brought an extra one million visitors to the city, a new report from The Murray Consultancy Ltd has found. It is reported that 160,000 visitors had never been to Liverpool prior to the event.

Other attractions in the city also reported a rise in visitor numbers including Liverpool One; National Museums Liverpool’s venues including the World Museum, Walker Art Gallery and Museum of Liverpool; the Albert Dock; and restaurants at Queen Square.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, said:

“We anticipated that the return of the Giants would have a massive impact, but this report shows it has surpassed our expectations.”

“To have one million people specifically come to the city to experience a free cultural event is really rewarding, and the economic boost is one of the biggest this city has ever experienced.”

“Memories of August 1914 was an incredibly special event – the creative brilliance of Royal de Luxe brought to life part of this city’s history which many had forgotten, and once again we really took those three special visitors to our hearts as they played out this emotional story before our very eyes.”

The event was Royal de Luxe’s second visit to Liverpool after Sea Odyssey in 2012 which generated £32m for the local economy and brought 800,000 visitors to the city.

Source: Insider Media
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Words: Daniel Pearce