The last seven days have been an outstanding success for Liverpool and its visitor economy, as the city hosted what is considered by many to have been the best Eurovision song contest ever, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport announced a major deal with holiday airline Jet2, who will be offering flights to over twenty destinations from the regional aviation facility from next year.
Thousands of people descended on a sun -basked Liverpool waterfront last weekend, and millions more watched on television, to enjoy an extravaganza of music and entertainment, as Liverpool hosted the 2023 Eurovision jamboree on behalf of war-torn Ukraine.
Three days later, the city’s airport announced the Jet2 deal, which will create around 200 new jobs, and offer flights to multiple holiday destinations throughout Europe.
John Irving, chief executive of the Airport said: “This is a great day for the airport and regional holidaymakers” as he confirmed that the first Jet2 flights will take off on March 28th, 2024 – just in time for the Easter break.
The Group chairman and chief executive of Downtown in Business Frank McKenna, who also sits on the board of Liverpool’s Visitor Economy BID, commented:
“What an amazing week this has been for the city. The Eurovision Song Contest reminded people from across the globe about how beautiful and spectacular the city and its waterfront are – and why it is considered among the very best places on the planet to throw a party. Huge credit to Claire McColgan and the Culture Liverpool team for putting on such a magnificent show. A special shout out too for DIB partners, the Liverpool BID company, who provided significant financial support to enable Liverpool to host the Eurovision, and to Jay Hynd and his colleagues at The Guide Liverpool for its quality coverage of the event.
On the news from the Airport, Mr McKenna added:
“The Airport has done an amazing job in bouncing back from the many challenges it faced post-pandemic. Alongside the Lufthansa deal, this partnership with Jet2 is a gamechanger for LJLA. Not only does the Airport offer the very best experiences to its passengers, but it adds massive value to the economy. The additional 200 jobs that are to be created on the back of the latest deal is a reminder of that.”
Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Lufthansa Airlines are the headline sponsors of the City of Liverpool Business Awards, which will be hosted in July at the Sefton Park Palm House by Downtown in Business.
