It’s been just over two years since the 151st Open brought 250,000 fans, global cameras and golf’s elite to Royal Liverpool Golf Club, but with more than £100M injected into the borough, what lasting impact has it left behind?
Some argue that hosting major sports events often creates an uneven benefit distribution, yet The Open seems to have left more than just a brief boost to Hoylake.
The Championship generated an estimated £187 million for the Liverpool City Region, with £43.2 million being directly spent on local businesses and services.
This proved to be not just a golf tournament, but a full scale economic event for the sea-side town.
According to Wirral Council’s records, local restaurants and hotels saw revenue uplifts of 25-30% during tournament week, with some pubs in West Kirby (the neighbouring town) reporting their highest sales in over a decade.
Several pubs, restaurants and cafes reported maintaining their revenue levels to 10% above their pre-Open averages – indicating how the competition left bundles of economic benefits for locals.
Wirral Council also reported that hotel occupancy rates in Hoylake remained consistently above their pre Open levels for at least six months subsequently – driven by repeat visits from golf spectators. 53% of visitors from outside the Wirral said they expected to return to the coastal town for a short break within a year. (Data via R&A)
And the town is still reaping rewards from the competition.
Ellie Benton, who works at The Green Lodge hotel, close to the course, said: “People are still coming to visit Hoylake for the golf.
“It’s amazing how many tourists we get who have come all the way from America just to play on one of The Open’s Championship courses.”
Multiple local family-run holiday homes, such as AirB’n’bs, also reported year-on-year booking increases of 15-20%, attributing this spike to The Open’s international broadcast exposure. (Data via Wirral Council)
The Open generated a world-wide TV audience of more than 600 million, putting Hoylake in a spotlight of unprecedented global exposure.
Additionally, 261,000 spectators came to Royal Liverpool to watch golf’s elite in action, allowing Merseyside to achieve 88% hotel occupancy during the event.
Wirral Council stated it was the “biggest sporting event the borough has hosted,” and some local business owners reported their best-ever week of trading.
Attendance at the 2023 Open Championship reached approximately 261,000 across the week, equal to nearly 80% of The Wirral’s population.
