Tourism chiefs are planning to make The Beatles overtake Harry Potter as Britain's "most lucrative cultural force", with major attractions planned for Merseyside and London to capitalise on the band's four upcoming biopics. The projects aim to knock the boy wizard off his perch as the country's top cultural draw.
Major Liverpool Attraction Planned
Plans include a large destination venue in the centre of Liverpool, dubbed Britain's answer to Graceland or Dollywood, the US tourist shrines dedicated to Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton. Opening in 2028, it will be the biggest Beatles-related project yet and has been described by Sir Paul McCartney as "extraordinary".
Apple Corps, which manages the band's commercial affairs, is taking over and expanding the existing Beatles Story attraction, currently based at Liverpool's Royal Albert Dock and run by Mersey Ferries. The rebooted version will be four times bigger, occupying 100,000 sq ft of the St Johns Shopping Centre, including the 400ft St Johns Beacon that towers over the building.
Immersive Experience and London Opening
The venue will become a "Yellow Submarine-themed viewing experience" giving a 360-degree panorama of Liverpool, which drummer Ringo Starr described as "far out". Organisers promise the "new immersive experience" will cover the band's Liverpool childhoods, Hamburg, The Cavern, Abbey Road, and Shea Stadium in New York.
Elsewhere, the band's former Apple Corps HQ in London's Savile Row - the location of their famous 1969 rooftop concert - opens to the public next year. The Beatles are already a bigger draw for tourists than William Shakespeare, and now have Harry Potter in their sights.
Industry Predictions
Music writer and broadcaster David Hepworth predicted Apple Corps has its sights high. He told the Daily Telegraph: "I don't think they're thinking Shakespeare, but judging from the backgrounds of the new management team at Apple, they may be thinking Harry Potter."
He added: "I'm old enough to remember when the Beatles actually existed. For most of the customers these new enterprises will be aimed at, the band don't have to be any more real than Harry. What would I like? There was not a single day when the Beatles were together that they didn't do something noteworthy. I'd like to see an exhibit that reflected that."
Hepworth concluded: "The one thing you can guarantee is that if Apple are doing it then it'll be with the OK of Paul, Ringo, Olivia and Yoko [George Harrison and John Lennon's widows respectively]. In which case it won't become too silly. It will not be tacky."
