Tourism generated over £4 billion for the Merseyside area in the past year.
Figures from the Liverpool City Region’s Local Enterprise Partnership have revealed a seven per cent increase on 2014’s tally of £3.8bn.
The visit of the Three Queens to mark Cunard’s 175th anniversary was a driving force in the surge with over one million people visiting the event.
In total, 56.5 million visitors made their way to the city throughout 2015 with jobs for the local area in the sector increasing to 50,000.
Liverpool was also named as the sixth-most visited city in the UK across last year in an International Passenger Survey released by Visit Britain.
Local business also saw an increase in numbers with 179,000 visitors representing a 23 per cent mark-up on the previous year.
Peter Sandman, head of visitor economy for the Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “These figures are not only encouraging but also show a confidence in the city region.
“The significant increase in visitor spend reflects the quality we have to offer across the board covering both culture and leisure.
“The rise in visitor economy employment is particularly positive as well as visitors coming for business – a market with potential for even more growth.”