BBC SPORT | Special Events | 2001 | Grand National | Three-day tripper by the Mersey

Watching sporting events has traditionally been seen as an escape from the drudgery of work but these days it is a job-provider in its own right.

The three-day Aintree meeting in April (which features the Grand National) is the tourist high spot of the year for the city of Liverpool.

Having numerous attractions, two world-famous football clubs, not to mention being the birthplace of the Beatles, makes Liverpool a popular spot on the tourist trail of Britain.

Yet it is still the Grand National weekend which stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to attracting the masses - the number of visitors is estimated to increase by one-fifth.

The tourist board has calculated that the local economy is boosted by �17.7m during the three-day meeting.

This includes the extra hotel rooms taken right down to the extra petrol put into the tanks of the punters' cars.

No vacancies

The famous Adelphi Hotel in Ranelagh Place is always fully booked for a few days either side of the meeting.

The hotel takes on more employees to keep on top of the extra housekeeping work while extra bar and catering staff are also required to cope with the ever-thirsty and hungry racegoers.

(The Adelphi estimates that most of its clientele have made the journey over from Ireland but says that even if Irish tourists don't come this year, their rooms will be snapped up.)

The city's expanding airport, which flies to several European destinations, makes it easily accessible to visitors from abroad.

The proximity of the Peak District and the Lake District means that visitors can take in more than just Liverpool when they come.

Albert Docks
The Albert Dock Village is popular with tourists

There are also countless attractions within the city such as the Albert Dock Village, the Beatles Story and the Tate Gallery.

Scouse hospitality

The infamous Grand National of 1997, which was postponed due to a bomb scare, left thousands stranded in Liverpool without their belongings.

The resulting hospitality shown to these marooned visitors by local people prompted the local authorities to come up with an idea to showcase what Liverpool had to offer.

And so 1998 saw the first Liverpool Grand National Festival, which was aimed at both local companies and tourists.

The festival, which is co-organised by the Mersey Partnership, a public/private sector initiative, was such a success that it has become an annual occurrence.

Events laid on include a free public concert, street entertainers and a firework display.

There is a racing theme to the festival but its main purpose is to raise awareness of the city.

The festival centres around the Grand National meeting but events such as a five-a-side football tournament begin weeks before and reach their conclusion during the weekend of the Aintree meeting.

Organisers of the festival hope that visitors to Aintree will be drawn into seeing the other attractions of the city and will see Liverpool as a year-round destination.

The Grand National may be the big pull for the tourists but Liverpool is anxious to prove it is a year-round destination and not just suitable for one weekend in April.