WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2913/98 by Richard CORBETT Tourism and Liverpool
Date: 1998-10-02
Institutions: CORBETT, European Parliament
Subjects: Structural Funds, United Kingdom, advertising, architectural heritage, economic growth, job creation, quality of life, tourism













EUR-Lex - 91998E2913 - EN






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91998E2913

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2913/98 by Richard CORBETT Tourism and Liverpool  


Official Journal C 320 , 06/11/1999 P. 0015 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2913/98by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission(2 October 1998)Subject: Tourism and LiverpoolIn the context of preparing for a new Objective 1 programme for Merseyside, does the Commission intend to give high priority to the potential of tourism in Liverpool?Is it aware that:- architecturally, Liverpool has more listed buildings than any other British city outside London and more Georgian houses than Bath;- it has two of the most remarkable cathedrals in the world, one of which has the world's biggest organ and the world's largest Gothic arch;- its group of museums and galleries, including the Walker Art Gallery, the Conservation Centre (which was designated Europe's Museum of the Year in 1998), the Tate in the North Gallery and the Maritime Museum, to name but a few, are the most impressive in the UK outside London;- the restored Albert Dock is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Britain, with over 5 million visitors a year;- Liverpool's waterfront and ferries similarly attract millions of visitors every year;- one of Britain's trendiest and liveliest popular music scene and night-clubbing areas is in Liverpool;- Liverpool's China Town boasts Europe's oldest Chinese community;- Beatles tourism is a growing phenomenon, with several sites, including the Cavern Club, the Beatles Museum and Paul McCartney's house, now attracting thousands of visitors and providing an opportunity for an annual Beatles festival;- halls and manor houses such as Speke Hall and Croxteth Hall are among the finest in Europe;Does the Commission agree that it is important to highlight these assets?Joint answerto Written Questions E-2912/98 and E-2913/98 given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission(10 November 1998)Although it is likely that there will be a European structural fund programme covering the Merseyside area after 1999, it is not yet certain that it will be an objective 1 programme. Adoption of the new list of objective 1 regions is not expected until the first half of 1999.Although image is not an economic driver in its own right, the Commission considers that positive developments in Merseyside's image should indeed be highlighted by the regional partnership. The Commission provides technical assistance to help publicise the contribution of the structural funds to such developments under the current Merseyside programme and would expect this to continue under a future programme.The extent to which tourism might be a priority under a future programme for Merseyside will depend on how far local partners can commit themselves to a convincing strategy for creating good quality sustainable jobs in the sector. Strong partnership is essential to this kind of strategy, which calls for collective action to integrate tourism development with measures to encourage growth in cultural industries and the training of local people to raise standards and skills in the area.