| Welcome

to Liverpool 
Welcome 
By Jack Stopforth, CEO Liverpool Chamber of Commerce 
LiverpoolÕs renaissance has a momentum of its own. Since 2000, over £4bn of investment has transformed the city. 

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LiverpoolÕs year as European Capital of Culture 2008 brought 14 million visitors and £800m of new revenue to the Merseyside economy. 

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he magnificent Liverpool ONE retail area Š itself an investment of more than £1bn by Grosvenor Estates - includes new stores and restaurants and a new multi-screen cinema. The development incorporates a new transport hub, park and residential development and has connected Church Street, Ropewalks and the Albert Dock to create an exciting and vibrant city experience. 
Across the road, the magnificent Liverpool Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre have boosted LiverpoolÕs famous waterfront and are bringing world-class concerts and international conferences to the city along with a beautiful new public piazza and hotels. 
At the Pier Head, the landscaping and extension of the Leeds Liverpool Canal and the new Museum of Liverpool provide a stunning entrance to Liverpool for thousands of passengers using the new cruise liner facility, which has already hosted the QE2 and some of the biggest and most luxurious cruise ships in the world. 
The investment continues with ambitious residential and commercial developments planned in the docks, the post-panamax facility at Seaforth and the proposed development by Peel Holdings of the Liverpool superport combining the freight capabilities of Liverpool John Lennon Airport with those of The Port of Liverpool. 
With new development has come significantly increased demand for new hotels. LiverpoolÕs year as European Capital of Culture 2008 brought 14 million visitors and well over £800m of new revenue to the Merseyside economy. The year saw sell-out concerts, celebrity first nights in the cinemas and theatres and hugely successful art exhibitions. We had the best Mathew Street Music Festival for years, and two of the cityÕs most illustrious musical sons, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Simon Rattle, brought us world-class concerts at Anfield and the Philharmonic Hall. 
Media coverage throughout 2008 was global and overwhelmingly