Mayor Steve Rotheram recently led a high-level mission to the United States, aimed at driving tens of millions of pounds of long-term investment, trade, and tourism to the Liverpool City Region.
During the trip, the Mayor followed a packed schedule of meetings with civic and business leaders in Boston and New York, promoting the city region as an innovation powerhouse ready for investment and as a must-visit cultural, sports, and events destination, visited by more than 60 million people each year.
The US, Liverpool City Region’s largest export market worth £1.8bn a year, also represents the biggest source of overseas investment, presenting significant opportunities to increase trade and tourism.
The mission included meetings with US health-tech leaders and major biotechnology companies to secure investment and collaboration in the city region’s thriving £5bn health and life sciences sector.
City region cultural leaders joined the Mayor in New York for meetings and events aimed at building on shared histories and strengthening ties to drive tourism. The Mayor also laid flowers at the Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon in New York’s Central Park.
Mayor Steve Rotheram said:
“This mission was an important and necessary investment in the Liverpool City Region’s future prosperity and for UK PLC.
“The US is already our largest export market and a major source of foreign direct investment, creating jobs and wealth in our city region.
“We have strong links through our shared histories, and our unrivalled music, sport, and culture attracts tens of thousands of US visitors each year.
“The potential to grow our ties and all the benefits it would bring to both sides is huge, but we need to have the right conversations with the right people and let our friends in the US know that Liverpool City Region is not just world famous for its port, sport, and culture but is also home to world-leading innovation and world-class facilities.
“This mission was about sowing the seeds for future investment, collaboration, and economic growth. I’ve pledged to boost foreign direct investment by 25%, creating jobs and prosperity for local people, and I’m determined to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
The Mayor arrived in the US after attending the Bloomberg CityLab Summit in Mexico City, joining 500 mayors, policymakers, innovators, and creatives from around the world.
On October 17, Mayor Rotheram arrived in Boston to meet life science, tourism, events, and maritime industry leaders to discuss potential collaborations, investment opportunities, and to promote the city region as the best place to invest and grow a business. He also met with Mayor of Cambridge Denise Simmons to discuss potential health and life science partnerships, given the city’s connection to innovation powerhouses Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In New York, the focus shifted to culture and tourism, with Mayor Rotheram hosting music and Beatles-themed discussions in Central Park. Meetings also explored Birkenhead Park’s role in inspiring Central Park and their respective bids for World Heritage Status.
Liverpool’s rich shared history with the United States, once the exit port for millions of people emigrating to America in the 19th and early 20th centuries, remains a focal point.
A special reception took place at the Museum of the City of New York, strengthening cultural ties, and included a lecture by National Museums Liverpool Director Laura Pye about ‘A Transatlantic Journey – Liverpool to New York.’
With Liverpool City Region aiming to build its major events sector, the Mayor visited both the Boston Convention and Exhibition Centre and New York Convention Centre to discuss the power of business events for inward investment. Talks also explored opportunities to partner over global events.
Director of Culture Liverpool Claire McColgan CBE said:
“Our historic cultural links with New York are well documented, from Cunard through to the Beatles, but I am really interested in the future potential of our two cities’ relationship. The USA is a target market for tourism, and we need to accelerate this growth over the next five years by developing creative and innovative content together.
“I’m delighted that Head of Diversity for UK Music Eunice Obianagha was with us alongside Head of UNESCO City of Music Kevin McManus. We had high-level conversations with music leaders in New York to begin thinking not only about tourism links but also creative industry and education ones. These conversations start an important strategic relationship leading up to the 250th anniversary of the founding of America in 2026.”
Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool, commented:
“We welcome significant numbers of international visitors to National Museums Liverpool’s venues every year, and many of these are from the USA, drawn to our world-class collections and unforgettable stories.
“Liverpool’s waterfront hosts our Maritime Museum, Museum of Liverpool, and International Slavery Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated to the transatlantic slave trade. All three have profound connections to the US history and culture, and this mission offered an ideal opportunity to celebrate and deepen these links.
“I look forward to sharing our ambitious Waterfront Transformation Project plans, a scheme that will unite storytelling, heritage, community, and hospitality across all three museums and surrounding public space. This is an exciting time for our waterfront, and we welcome our colleagues in New York and the USA to join us on this journey.”
The New York leg concluded with a visit to Mt Sinai Hospital’s Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine to discuss innovation opportunities.
The Mayor returned to the UK, while a smaller delegation continued to North Carolina. With a GDP of $550bn – similar to Sweden’s – North Carolina was named ‘America’s top state for business’ in a recent CNBC study.
The delegation included visits to leading biotech firms and Duke University’s School of Medicine, a renowned institution for health professions and biomedical research. Meetings were also held with the Mayor of Durham.
With the US accounting for nearly a fifth of Liverpool City Region’s exports, valued at £1.8bn annually, it remains the region’s biggest overseas market.
Trade between the city region and the US is worth £2.5bn, and Liverpool’s port is the UK’s largest western-facing one, handling 45% of the UK’s US trade.
The US is also Liverpool City Region’s largest source of inward investment, with American companies investing £2.1bn into the local economy.
Meanwhile, the US is the second most valuable source of international visitors to Liverpool City Region by spend and the third highest by volume.
Nationally, the US remains the UK’s top tourism market by both spend and volume, with visitors staying an average of seven nights and spending over £1,400 each. The New York Tri-State area alone accounts for about 14% of all US visitors to the UK.
The delegation included senior representatives from the city region’s Health and Life Sciences sector, including the University of Liverpool and Health Innovation North West Coast, as well as leaders from Culture Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool, ACC Liverpool, and UK Music.
Professor Iain Buchan, Director of Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL) and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Liverpool, stated:
“I’m delighted to meet with international colleagues to continue the University’s work in developing global partnerships and addressing global health challenges.
“As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2031, this trip to the US supports our efforts to build strategic partnerships, strengthening the global impact and reputation of our research and education.”
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