Liverpool farewell's Eurovision, but will reap the rewards for years to come
The party is over and most of the international visitors have gone home, but the city of Liverpool will be celebrating the success of the Eurovision Song Contest for years to come.
British entry Mae Muller came second to last, but the result did not stop the party in Liverpool. The celebrations have been in full swing for more than a week and culminated in thousand of people enjoying the grand final on big screens by the waterfront on Saturday night with some lucky enough to get into the M & S Bank Arena for the live show
It has been months of planning and anticipation for the city with visitors coming from across the UK, Europe and as far afield at America, Canada and Australia.
Merseyside Police say over the nine day event in excess of half a million people descended on the city centre.
Police have thanked the public saying the event was a big success, passing off safely and without any major incidents.
The economic benefit for the city has been huge with cafe's, bars and restaurants packed for most of the week.
Many visitors said that they had travelled to London before, but had never been to Liverpool, but would definately come back.
It's been estimated that Liverpool's economy could receive a £40m boost by hosting the Eurovision Song Contest.
Jonathan Poole owns Bacaro, a restaurant in the city centre and says he hopes the success of Eurovision will bring visitors back in the future:
"Liverpool is a very attractive city, the waterfront is amazing, the hospitality industry here is flying, people are funny and great company. I think it showcases the best of Liverpool, great hotels, great bars, party atmosphere so I'm hoping people will come and enjoy the city for months to come"
The grand final of the contest had the highest television audience figures. The live broadcast saw an average of 9.9 million viewers and a peak of 11 million tune in to watch.
The eyes of the world have been on Liverpool and now the city is basking in the success of hosting the competition on behalf of Ukraine.