City of the Beatles
"I have heard of the greatness of Liverpool but the reality far surpassed the expectation." This is what Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, said after visiting the city in 1846. The quote is engraved on a column at the entrance of St George's Hall, one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Europe and a fine example of Greco-Roman style architecture. Michael Testa checked out the truth of the quote when he flew to Liverpool with travel writers as guest of Air Malta, which is running a twice weekly Liverpool/Malta air service.
We found a UNESCO World Heritage City at the heart of the Merseyside region buzzing with business, entertainment, shopping, nightlife and a unique maritime heritage - this year celebrating its 800th anniversary and looking forward to next year when it will be the European Capital of Culture.
A number of special events are being held to mark 2007 when King John signed the city's official charter. Liverpool Day is on August 28.
Various festivals and events are being organised to celebrate 2008 for European Cultural Year with the key celebratory theme focusing on Liverpool's maritime history and heritage, architecture, music, literature, arts and sport.
Can you imagine celebrations in Liverpool without the Beatles?
In fact there will be an international Beatles Week and Mathew Street, Festival from August 22 to 28. There will be over 200 bands plus specialist Beatles events and the annual Beatles Convention.
The influence of the fabulous four - the Beatles - is very much in the air in Liverpool. Mathew Street, their birthplace, and Albert Dock, which houses The Beatles Story, illustrate the success of the four Liverpool young lads who achieved worldwide fame and a must for fans visiting the city.
The evocative exhibition visited by both young and not so young people charts the lives and times of John, Paul, George and Ringo, from the early days in Hamburg, to the Cavern, Beatlemania and flower power, the groups' break-up and their solo careers.
The Beatles Story Museum also houses an exact replica of the Cavern where the group used to play in their younger days, while a hop to the city centre close by is the real Cavern Club in Mathew Street, an entertainment area where most of the clubs are concentrated. In the early days of the group, the Beatles played nearly 300 times in the Cavern Club which was located in the basement of a Victorian warehouse.
Record outlets and bars predominantly play Beatles music while many of the shops are named after Beatles' songs such as From Me To You or Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
A hotel at the top of Mathew Street will also have a Beatles' connection. The Hard Day's Night Hotel is housed in a beautiful, old building which is being renovated. Sweets at restaurants will also be named after Beatles songs. There is also the Casbah Coffee Club firm opened in 1957 with John, Paul and George appearing as The Quarreymen. The Casbah is the only original Beatles venue to remain untouched.
The Beatles Story attracts more visitors to Liverpool than any other attraction.
An estimated 600,000 visit Liverpool for The Beatles each year and they spend some £21 million.
Official figures show one million tourists from mainland Europe headed to Merseyside in the past year.
The value of tourism to the Merseyside economy currently stands at £1.1 billion. Figures estimate that Merseyside's tourism sector in 2013 will be worth £2 billion supporting over 30,000 jobs.
Another attraction to the city is football and their beloved football team.
There is no better way to get a glimpse of Liverpool scenes, before visiting on foot some of the architectural gems and rich museums, than sitting on the Mersey Ferry or on a open double decker bus on a city tour.
Perhaps an added bonus for Liverpool is the friendliness of the Liverpudlians.
They are so ready to help visitors... they seemed to relish seeing visitors enjoying their stay and are happy to share their city with them.
• Tourism information can be obtained by phone on +44(0)151 233 2008 or online at www.visitliverpool.com.
Good prospects for summer
Through the introduction of the Malta-Liverpool direct air service by Air Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority is seeking to revive the popularity Malta enjoyed among Liverpudlians some years back, Reuben Vella Bray, Malta Tourism Authority's head of hospitality, said.
He was speaking on prospects of increasing traffic from Liverpool during a recent tour of Liverpool to mark the launch of the air service.
During the tour, a programme of folk dancing was laid down by Celebrity to make Malta better known with travellers from Liverpool.
The arrangement to take over the troupe was made by the MTA and Air Malta with the Liverpool John Lennon Airport authorities, through the indefatigable marketing and promotions manager Katie Smorthit and her team.
Mr Vella Bray said apart from advertising Air Malta on buses, efforts are in hand to bring to Malta various celebrities including footballers from Liverpool, in view of the popularity the football team enjoys among fans in Malta.
"No stone is being left unturned to promote Malta in the Merseyside city.
"In fact we are optimistic over prospects for the coming summer," Mr Vella Bray said.
The Monday flight, KM156 to Liverpool, departs at 7 a.m. arriving at 9.35 a.m. The return flight, KM157, departs Liverpool at 10.25 a.m. arriving in Malta at 2.55 p.m.
Friday's flight departs Malta at 5 p.m. arriving in Liverpool at 7.35 p.m.
The return flight departs Liverpool at 8.25 p.m. arriving in Malta at 12. 55 a.m. Tickets cost as little as £45 one way excluding taxes. Brian Bartolo, Air Malta's marketing general manager, said the line is an extension of the Manchester service, where Air Malta operates eight flights a week.
Liverpool is the 10th airport in the UK where Air Malta operates. The others are Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, East Midlands, Birmingham, Stanstead, Gatwick, Heathrow and Bristol.
20070616-lifestyle--liverpool2.jpgA quick guide
• From the city one can take a ferry "Cross the Mersey" to Wirral, to explore the Victorian splendour of Southport or experience the town of St Helens - the home of glass making.
• Port Sunlight Village is the community created by the first Lord Leverhulme, who built a neighbourhood for his workers at the local soap factory. The centrepiece of the village is the famous Lady Lever Art Gallery, home to a Wedgwood collection and paintings by Turner, Constable and many other famous names.
• Liverpool Cathedral is twice as big as St Paul's in London. It is the largest Anglican Cathedral in Europe and is home to the world's largest church organ and the highest and heaviest ringing peal of bells.
• Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King boasts the world's largest stained glass window.
• The Walker was built in 1877 after a local brewer and alderman, Andrew Barclay Walker, gave £20,000 to improve the public image of brewing and alcohol. It holds one of the finest collections of fine and decorative art in Europe.
• World Museum Liverpool features expanded galleries and improved facilities including the World Cultures gallery, the Bug House where visitors will encounter giant model insects, new Aquarium, the Weston Discovery Centre, Clore Natural History Centre and Treasure House Theatre.
• St George's Hall, originally built as Law Courts, is the finest neo-classical building in Europe and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Greco-Roman style architecture.
• Albert Dock, with its stylish bars and restaurants, is frequented by celebrities and located in the biggest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in the world.
• The Tate Liverpool at Albert Dock is one of the largest galleries of modern and contemporary art outside London.
• The Merseyside Maritime Museum at the Albert Dock charts the influence of the River on the City and explores the diverse world of Liverpool's seafaring history.
• The Beatles' Story is a very well designed museum dedicated to Liverpool's famous sons from the 1960s through to the present day.
• The Liver Bird, intended to be an eagle but is officially a cormorant, is the symbol of Liverpool. Two bronze sculptures, as high as three buses on top of each other, stand on the Liver Building on the dockside.
A number of special events are being held to mark 2007 when King John signed the city's official charter. Liverpool Day is on August 28.
Various festivals and events are being organised to celebrate 2008 for European Cultural Year with the key celebratory theme focusing on Liverpool's maritime history and heritage, architecture, music, literature, arts and sport.
Can you imagine celebrations in Liverpool without the Beatles?
In fact there will be an international Beatles Week and Mathew Street, Festival from August 22 to 28. There will be over 200 bands plus specialist Beatles events and the annual Beatles Convention.
The influence of the fabulous four - the Beatles - is very much in the air in Liverpool. Mathew Street, their birthplace, and Albert Dock, which houses The Beatles Story, illustrate the success of the four Liverpool young lads who achieved worldwide fame and a must for fans visiting the city.
The evocative exhibition visited by both young and not so young people charts the lives and times of John, Paul, George and Ringo, from the early days in Hamburg, to the Cavern, Beatlemania and flower power, the groups' break-up and their solo careers.
The Beatles Story Museum also houses an exact replica of the Cavern where the group used to play in their younger days, while a hop to the city centre close by is the real Cavern Club in Mathew Street, an entertainment area where most of the clubs are concentrated. In the early days of the group, the Beatles played nearly 300 times in the Cavern Club which was located in the basement of a Victorian warehouse.
Record outlets and bars predominantly play Beatles music while many of the shops are named after Beatles' songs such as From Me To You or Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
A hotel at the top of Mathew Street will also have a Beatles' connection. The Hard Day's Night Hotel is housed in a beautiful, old building which is being renovated. Sweets at restaurants will also be named after Beatles songs. There is also the Casbah Coffee Club firm opened in 1957 with John, Paul and George appearing as The Quarreymen. The Casbah is the only original Beatles venue to remain untouched.
The Beatles Story attracts more visitors to Liverpool than any other attraction.
An estimated 600,000 visit Liverpool for The Beatles each year and they spend some £21 million.
Official figures show one million tourists from mainland Europe headed to Merseyside in the past year.
The value of tourism to the Merseyside economy currently stands at £1.1 billion. Figures estimate that Merseyside's tourism sector in 2013 will be worth £2 billion supporting over 30,000 jobs.
Another attraction to the city is football and their beloved football team.
There is no better way to get a glimpse of Liverpool scenes, before visiting on foot some of the architectural gems and rich museums, than sitting on the Mersey Ferry or on a open double decker bus on a city tour.
Perhaps an added bonus for Liverpool is the friendliness of the Liverpudlians.
They are so ready to help visitors... they seemed to relish seeing visitors enjoying their stay and are happy to share their city with them.
• Tourism information can be obtained by phone on +44(0)151 233 2008 or online at www.visitliverpool.com.
Good prospects for summer
Through the introduction of the Malta-Liverpool direct air service by Air Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority is seeking to revive the popularity Malta enjoyed among Liverpudlians some years back, Reuben Vella Bray, Malta Tourism Authority's head of hospitality, said.
He was speaking on prospects of increasing traffic from Liverpool during a recent tour of Liverpool to mark the launch of the air service.
During the tour, a programme of folk dancing was laid down by Celebrity to make Malta better known with travellers from Liverpool.
The arrangement to take over the troupe was made by the MTA and Air Malta with the Liverpool John Lennon Airport authorities, through the indefatigable marketing and promotions manager Katie Smorthit and her team.
Mr Vella Bray said apart from advertising Air Malta on buses, efforts are in hand to bring to Malta various celebrities including footballers from Liverpool, in view of the popularity the football team enjoys among fans in Malta.
"No stone is being left unturned to promote Malta in the Merseyside city.
"In fact we are optimistic over prospects for the coming summer," Mr Vella Bray said.
The Monday flight, KM156 to Liverpool, departs at 7 a.m. arriving at 9.35 a.m. The return flight, KM157, departs Liverpool at 10.25 a.m. arriving in Malta at 2.55 p.m.
Friday's flight departs Malta at 5 p.m. arriving in Liverpool at 7.35 p.m.
The return flight departs Liverpool at 8.25 p.m. arriving in Malta at 12. 55 a.m. Tickets cost as little as £45 one way excluding taxes. Brian Bartolo, Air Malta's marketing general manager, said the line is an extension of the Manchester service, where Air Malta operates eight flights a week.
Liverpool is the 10th airport in the UK where Air Malta operates. The others are Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, East Midlands, Birmingham, Stanstead, Gatwick, Heathrow and Bristol.
20070616-lifestyle--liverpool2.jpgA quick guide
• From the city one can take a ferry "Cross the Mersey" to Wirral, to explore the Victorian splendour of Southport or experience the town of St Helens - the home of glass making.
• Port Sunlight Village is the community created by the first Lord Leverhulme, who built a neighbourhood for his workers at the local soap factory. The centrepiece of the village is the famous Lady Lever Art Gallery, home to a Wedgwood collection and paintings by Turner, Constable and many other famous names.
• Liverpool Cathedral is twice as big as St Paul's in London. It is the largest Anglican Cathedral in Europe and is home to the world's largest church organ and the highest and heaviest ringing peal of bells.
• Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King boasts the world's largest stained glass window.
• The Walker was built in 1877 after a local brewer and alderman, Andrew Barclay Walker, gave £20,000 to improve the public image of brewing and alcohol. It holds one of the finest collections of fine and decorative art in Europe.
• World Museum Liverpool features expanded galleries and improved facilities including the World Cultures gallery, the Bug House where visitors will encounter giant model insects, new Aquarium, the Weston Discovery Centre, Clore Natural History Centre and Treasure House Theatre.
• St George's Hall, originally built as Law Courts, is the finest neo-classical building in Europe and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Greco-Roman style architecture.
• Albert Dock, with its stylish bars and restaurants, is frequented by celebrities and located in the biggest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in the world.
• The Tate Liverpool at Albert Dock is one of the largest galleries of modern and contemporary art outside London.
• The Merseyside Maritime Museum at the Albert Dock charts the influence of the River on the City and explores the diverse world of Liverpool's seafaring history.
• The Beatles' Story is a very well designed museum dedicated to Liverpool's famous sons from the 1960s through to the present day.
• The Liver Bird, intended to be an eagle but is officially a cormorant, is the symbol of Liverpool. Two bronze sculptures, as high as three buses on top of each other, stand on the Liver Building on the dockside.