The travel business is already booming in Liverpool, European City of Culture for 2008, with its Beatles connections like the Beatles Story and John Lennon Airport

LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON AIRPORT TOPS THE CHARTS

One sign of the boom in Liverpool's economy and tourist industry were figures released by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) which show that Liverpool's John Lennon Airport was the fastest-growing regional airport in 2006. The airport was used by 5 million passengers, up from 4.4 million in 2005.

THE BEATLES STORY EXPANSION

One of Liverpool's main visitor attractions is The Beatles Story at Albert Dock, a fab time if you're a fan of the Fab Four. The number of foreign language tours has been increased.

Also new at The Beatles Story are murals for sale to visitors, and specially created by designer Gidon Bar-oz. Gidon was one of the first students to be accepted for a Theatre Design course when Paul McCartney opened the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts in 1995. He worked in Hollywood doing designs for several movie studios, and is now back in his native Northwest England, running his own successful design company. His Beatles murals can now be seen – and bought – at The Beatles Story.

COMING IN 2008

Over 70 events have already been planned – many of them free - by the Liverpool European City of Culture organisers. Their website lists the following 10 highlights so far:

• · 2007 Turner Prize - Tate Liverpool hosts the 2007 Turner Prize the fist time it has been exhibited outside London since it started in 1984
• · The Liverpool Nativity - the greatest story ever told through the music of Liverpool broadcast on the BBC
• · The Liverpool Sound - this concert will be broadcast across the globe from the city's stunning waterfront. It will celebrate the unique impact Liverpool has had on the world of music
• · Gustav Klimt - the UK's first major exhibition of the work of legendary Austrian artist at Tate Liverpool
• · High Society - an exhibition by 19th-century French artist James Tissot at Lady Lever Art Gallery
• · The People's Festival - celebrate working class culture and heroes
• · Monet to Hopper: The Artist and The Railway - the only European showing of an international exhibition celebrating the power and impact of the railway
• · The Tall Ships' Races 2008 - starts on the River Mersey in July
• · Tour of Britain - ends in Liverpool during September - the first time it has finished outside London
• · Shipping Lines Literary Festival - celebrates the impact of the sea on the city. Stars include Seamus Heaney and Roger McGough

To get full information on the 2008 events visit www.liverpool08.com

LIVERPOOL TOURIST INFORMATION

For More information visit the official Liverpool Tourism Information website by clicking here.

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Click here to read my Blog about seeing the Beatles play live on stage in Liverpool.

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Read about London Beatles tours by clicking here.

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Read about Liverpool ghost tours by clicking here.

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Read about the new Hard Day's Night Beatles-themed Liverpool hotel by clicking here.

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