CUNARD'S "Three Queens" celebrations generated almost £33m for the Merseyside economy, according to an independent report.

The survey revealed 1.2m people gathered along the Liverpool, Wirral and Sefton waterfronts, with 48% of those attending coming from outside the area.

The report studied the activity of visitors coming to the city from Saturday, May 23, until Tuesday, May 26 to witness the spectacular event.

This included the arrival of Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth who met for the first time on the Mersey and the Amazing Graces projections which illuminated Liverpool’s waterfront in unforgettable style.

The research, commissioned by Liverpool City Council and carried out by North West Research, is based on interviews with hundreds of people and found:

  • The economic impact on each areas was: Liverpool £29.1m and Wirral and Sefton £3.8m
  • On average, each visitor spent £27
  • 48 per cent of visitors were from outside the city region
  • Six per cent of visitors came from oversees including locations such as North America, New Zealand and Ireland.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “Anyone who was lucky enough to experience any of the Three Queens event knew that it was a special moment not only in this city’s history, but in Merseyside’s history.

“The build-up to the event was unprecedented and there was a real sense across the region that we were about to be part of something truly unforgettable.

“From the moment the Amazing Graces projections kicked things off on the Saturday night, we knew it was going to be a huge success as from that point word spread the crowds kept growing over the next few days."

Cunard director Angus Struthers said: "The gathering of our Three Queens on the Mersey was a spectacular success which captured interest all over the world."