Liverpool Cathedral is ‘A Great Place to Visit’
According to you! We received news that we’d been awarded the acclaimed Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2021 and over 150,000 people came to see our Peace Doves installation
From May until the end of August 2021, 154,000 people came to Liverpool Cathedral to see the Peace Doves artwork. We estimate that contributed around £3.5 million* to the local economy.
Shortly after the Peace Doves installation came down, we found out about the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2021 award. This award is based on consistently receiving great visitor reviews on Tripadvisor for a full year. It places Liverpool Cathedral in the top 10% of attractions around the globe on Tripadvisor.
Paul Smith, Director of Enterprise at Liverpool Cathedral, said:
“We were so pleased to be able to offer our visitors this wonderful installation – especially after the very difficult year which everyone has been through.”
He added,
“Our status as ‘A Great Place to Visit’ is reinforced by your amazing Tripadvisor reviews. Your reviews mean we’ve been awarded the prestigious Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2021.
“Receiving this accolade for a second year is an incredible honour and reinforces our position as one of the top visitor attractions in the city and the top ten in the world. If you have taken the time to visit us or if you’ve shared your experiences after visiting us, thank you.
“I would also like to thank our Cathedral Team as winning this award is made possible by every one of amazing staff and volunteers. Their dedication to providing the best possible encounter for everyone who walks through our doors means that our visitors want to tell others about their experience.”
Chris Brown, Director of Marketing Liverpool, said:
“It’s no surprise that visitors flocked to see the Peace Doves at Liverpool Cathedral – when such a stunning venue houses an installation to match, it will attract people from near and far.
“The Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award is one of the most important in the industry, as it’s based off the thousands of organic reviews from people who have actually been rather than a small panel of judges. Winning it for the second year running underlines the quality of the visitor experience at Liverpool Cathedral."
“Congratulations to all the winners of the 2021 Travellers’ Choice Awards,” said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor.
"I know the past year has been extremely challenging for tourism businesses. What has impressed me is how businesses adapted to these challenges, implementing new cleanliness measures, adding social distancing guidelines, and utilising technology to prioritize guest safety. The Travellers’ Choice Awards highlight the places that are consistently excellent - delivering quality experiences time and time again even while navigating changing customer expectations and new ways of working. Based on a full year of reviews from customers, this award speaks to the great service and experience you provided guests in the midst of a pandemic.”
Created by renowned sculptor and artist Peter Walker, Peace Doves was a mass participation art project featuring 18,000 paper doves containing messages of hope, peace and love. Originally planned to open in May 2020, the installation was postponed due to the pandemic.
Last year, we asked people to come to the Cathedral to write their messages on paper doves.
Some of the doves were curated into the artwork and suspended from the ceiling above the Well by 18.8 miles of ribbon. David Harper composed the soundtrack that accompanied the installation.
We sent around 23,000 doves to schools across the Diocese, so they could be part of this art project too.
Visitors experienced a varied programme of events under the installation, such as - music, dance, storytelling and yoga. One of the highlights was the ‘Quiet Hour’; designed for those who might have found large crowds daunting. They may be someone who has an autism spectrum condition or sensory processing differences and were able to contemplate the artwork away from the hustle and bustle.
To see traveller reviews and popular activities/features/amenities of Liverpool Cathedral visit our Tripadvisor review page (opens in a new window).
The communications campaign for Peace Doves has also been shortlisted for a Chartered Insitute of Public Relations (CIPR) award (opens in a new window).
You can see our visiting times on the Opening Hours page (opens in a new window).
*How we worked out our economic impact.
Image by Gareth Jones of Liverpool Cathedral, taken from the Georgian Quarter in 2021