Earlier this week, Liverpool lost its World Heritage Status following a decision of a UNESCO committee in China. The status was awarded back in 2004. The city was said to be significant because –
Liverpool played a leading role in the development of dock construction, port management and international trading systems in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
The buildings and structures of the port and the city are an exceptional testimony to mercantile culture.
Liverpool played a major role in influencing globally significant demographic changes in the 18th and 19th centuries, through its involvement in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and as the leading port of mass European emigration to the New World.
https://www.liverpoolworldheritage.com/why-is-liverpool-a-world-heritage-site/
None of this has changed. The buildings are still there. What has happened is there the city now has more modern buildings and will soon have a world class football stadium on its waterfront – some distance from the famous Liver Building. The committee dislikes the more modern developments, and the status has now gone. Unfortunately, this is the inevitable cost of change.
Back in the early 1980s Liverpool was a mess. The docklands were derelict and the whole waterfront was a depressing embarrassment. This was highlighted in Alan Bleasdale’s memorable TV series Boys from the Black Stuff. In the episode George’s Last Ride, George is taken to the docks, and looks out across the emptiness saying – ‘I can’t believe there’s no hope’.
Following the Toxteth riots in 1981 Geoffrey Howe famously wrote to Margaret Thatcher –
"I cannot help feeling that the option of managed decline is one which we should not forget altogether. We must not expend all our limited resources in trying to make water flow uphill."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-16355281
What happened instead was the start of a period of regeneration, unimaginable to those of us who lived and worked here at that time. This was attributable to the vision and energy of a Conservative minister, Michael Heseltine and many others. The UNESCO decision will not undermine 40 years of progress.
Let’s start with a trip to Peru. Machu Picchu has always been high up on my bucket list. The stunning 15th Century, Inca Citadel really is a wonder to behold – I am told! Why do I want to go there? Because of its stunning location and history. It has world heritage status but that would not appear on my top 20 reasons to visit. I want to go there because it is Machu Pacchu not because it has a badge.
So if we head back to Liverpool we ask what impact did the status have on tourism.
Let’s look at the continuing influence of the Beatles. In My Life (so to speak) they have brought thousands of visitors to Liverpool. In 2016 it was reported that that they contributed £82m to the city’s economy and 2335 jobs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-35523070
This famous statue graces the cities waterfront
The Albert Dock itself is now a world class centre for tourism and business –
And then there are the two cathedrals!
We've got one to spare!
The stunning three graces are as graceful as they ever were.
Just a few miles away, there is Rimrose Valley Country Park and at Crosby Beach, some of the most breath-taking sunsets in the world!
People come to Liverpool for all of this. Businesses are moving to Liverpool because it is a great place to live and work. One German poll recently placed Liverpool in 10th place among the world’s best cities for mental well-being, the only UK city to appear in the top 20 –
https://www.positive.news/society/the-worlds-best-cities-for-mental-wellbeing/
It is a disappointment that the UNESCO committee has decided to remove the status. The city does have issues to address. Some of the new buildings might not be to everybody's taste. But Liverpool remains a city which is rightly proud of its history and it position as a leading tourist destination in 2021.
