Terracotta Warriors give Liverpool a £78m boost

More than 600,000 people will have seen the Terracotta Warriors by the time the acclaimed show closes this weekend – making it the most visited ticketed exhibition in the UK this year.

And it is estimated that China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors, which opened at the World Museum in February, has generate £78million for the visitor economy.

Around 36% of visitors to National Museums Liverpool venues are on staying visits from outside the city region. Using this data, NML estimates the Terracotta Warriors exhibition has driven around 208,220 staying visits to Liverpool between February and October, and a wider contribution to the local economy of over £78m.

Timed tickets sold like the proverbial hot cakes. And demand for all things Warriors has been fierce with the exhibition gift shop reporting sales of 31,119 replica Terracotta Warriors (including 11 replica life size soldier figures) and almost 31,000 fridge magnets.

National Museums Liverpool director Laura Pye said: “We opened China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors in a wonderful year of culture for Liverpool, with another great Biennial and Tate Liverpool’s 30th birthday. Huge public events such as The Giants have celebrated 10 years since we were the Capital of Culture.

“We’re so proud to be part of the fabric of Liverpool’s rich culture and to have delivered the Terracotta Warriors exhibition for our visitors this year. Congratulations to our colleagues across the city on coming together to deliver a fantastic year-round offer and keeping us at the top of the UK’s cultural calendar.”

Sir David Henshaw, NML chairman, added: “We’re thrilled so many people have been able to see and enjoy the Terracotta Warriors here in Liverpool.

“More than three quarters of visitors told us that our Terracotta Warriors exhibition was the main reason for their visit to Liverpool. We’re delighted to have made such a significant contribution to the visitor economy of the Liverpool City Region.”

China’s First Emperor formed part of the Liverpool 2018 programme marking 10 years since the city was European Capital of Culture.