Performances from stars including Sir Elton John, Stormzy and Dua Lipa helped boost music tourism by £696 million in the North West last year, according to a new UK Music report.
The resurgence of live music in 2022 brought 1.9 million music tourists to the region in the first full year of post-pandemic festivals, gigs and concerts in the UK.
This includes 1.6 million fans who attended concerts including from Stormzy at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, Sir Elton at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium and Dua Lipa at the AO Arena in Manchester.
A total of 300,000 people attended popular festivals such as Parklife, Creamfields North, Liverpool International Jazz Festival, Bluedot, Kendal Calling and Beat-Herder.
The figures come in a new report from UK Music titled Here, There And Everywhere, which will be released on July 18 and will include the music tourism data for the UK.
The £696 million boost in music tourism in the North West includes ticket sales, food and beverage sales, merchandise, venue parking, camping fees, accommodation and travel while visiting the UK for a live music event, the report said.
The report states there was an extra boost to concerts in 2022 because many events had been held over from 2021 due to cancellations caused by the pandemic.
It comes days after Sir Elton’s final performance on his 330-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in Stockholm, which saw the megastar bid farewell to more than 50 years of performing across the globe.
It was of the highest-grossing concert tours since records began, with Billboard reporting that it is the first to achieve 900 million US dollars (£701 million) worth of ticket sales.
UK Music chief executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said: “The North West is a real powerhouse when it comes to the UK music scene and has produced some of our best performers, including The Beatles, Cilla Black, The Stone Roses, New Order, Oasis, and Mel C.
“Venues in the major cities like Liverpool and Manchester draw in legions of music fans from across the world to see some of the best talent around, including those produced by fantastic places like the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.
“Music has been a key ingredient in the North West’s economic and cultural success – and it is critical to the region’s future too.
“By harnessing the power of music, towns and cities across the North West can generate thousands more jobs, boost economic growth and lure even more visitors to the region.”
The report comes as policymakers and music industry leaders including Mr Njoku-Goodwin travelled to Liverpool for the first Modern Music Cities Conference.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham described the North West as the “heartbeat of music in this country”, following the Eurovision Song Contest held in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine in May this year.
Meanwhile, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: “The success of staging a global spectacle such as Eurovision on behalf of our friends in Ukraine brought an estimated £40m economic boost to our area in May alone.
“More importantly, though, it helped to all but seal our area’s title as the undisputed home of British music.
“To put it simply, music wouldn’t be music without Liverpool and Liverpool wouldn’t be Liverpool without music – we are the UK’s cultural capital.
“No region has produced more number one hits than ours. Nowhere else in the England boasts Unesco City of Music status. No one has transformed the world of music like four mop-topped boys from Liverpool.
“And no place throws itself, heart and soul, into cultural events quite like we do.
“Our area is leading the way as a global music city and we have a proven track record of doing the sector proud.”