Football tourism has boosted in the United Kingdom over the last decade, with Liverpool profiting the most.
Premier League football is a worldwide spectacle, with fixtures broadcast to every region of the world. Because of the sport’s prominence in major countries, many wish to be as near to the spectacle as conceivable.
The football season has stalled for the previous 20 months or more. Football matches played in vacant arenas and foreign travel nearly is screeching to a standstill. Until things are back to normal, Merseyside will ultimately profit.
According to VisitBritain’s Football Tourism in the UK report, there were 1.5 million visitors to the UK in 2019 that included viewing a live football match. This was an increase of 66% over the previous year’s study when there were 909,000 visitors.
The Reds were second in the poll with record 213,000 visits to Anfield in the year 2019. And with these visits, the club received £152m in revenue.
Premier League rivals Manchester United took the lead with 226,000 visits and £225 million in tourism revenue at Old Trafford. Whereas Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium is third with 189,000 visits in 2019, and Wembley Stadium is fourth with 122,000.
With 114,000 visitors Tottenham Hotspur’s new state-of-the-art home stadium rounded out the top five.
In 2019, the three leading markets for football-watching tourists were Ireland (175,000), Germany (126,000), and the United States (113,000).
With 18% of total visitation, the North West was by far the most attended area for football.
How well Liverpool did in Tourism ?
The Republic of Ireland received a huge number of visitors, but Scandinavian nations such as Iceland and Norway were prominent.
Liverpool enjoys great support and tourism from Scandinavian nations. The club’s Norwegian link is well-entrenched thanks to players like John Arne Riise, Stig-Inge Bjornebye, Vegard Heggem, Oyvind Leonhardsen, and Bjorn Tore Kvarme.
According to the report, the Reds are the most popular club in Sweden. The club’s popularity has increased local revenue and attracted international spectators.
After having to play the majority of the 2020/21 Premier League season behind closed doors due to the pandemic, Liverpool has been apt to entice back full attendances since the beginning of the season.
