The city of Liverpool turn to the Cruise Industry for floating hotels for the EuroVision 23

Celebrity Silhouette berthed in the city of Liverpool Photo Credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr) 

Cruise ships are being considered as alternative accommodation options for those travelling to Liverpool for Eurovision 2023 after the city’s hotels begin to sell out, according to reports in the national press.

Within minutes of the announcement, many of Liverpool’s hotels were reportedly fully booked on 13 May, including all of the city’s Premier Inns and Travelodge hotels.

According to ITV, some city-centre rooms and apartments were available on Booking.com, with the cost of a one-night stay ranging between £855 and £1,444.


Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, Cllr Harry Doyle, said: “I’m disappointed with some accommodation providers who have hiked prices.

“That’s normal, apparently after the initial announcement. We had planned for this and are looking at alternative arrangements including a cruise ship and campsites.”

Speaking to BBC News, Chris Brown, director of Marketing Liverpool, said the city will release more accommodation options “soon”.

“That could involve cruise ships or opportunities around a campsite, but we do have a pretty robust plan,” he added.

“We will certainly be addressing [hotels who have hiked their prices] who we feel are put together, or behaving in a way that we would not say is in the spirit of the ethos of why Liverpool went for Eurovision.”

Qatar Charters Two MSC Cruises Ships as Hotels for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Qatar has signed an agreement with MSC Cruises to charter two ships to accommodate fans during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The two ships, with a combined capacity of nearly 4,000, will act as floating hotels during the tournament. They will be berthed at Doha Port.

According to Qatar, chartering cruise ships for fans has long been part of its accommodation strategy, with the country keen to offer sustainable solutions for the month-long tournament, which will kick-off on Nov. 21, 2022.

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MSC Europa

Under the terms of the agreement, the State of Qatar will charter MSC Cruises’ MSC Europa and MSC Poesia. Scheduled for delivery in 2022, the MSC Europa is currently under construction at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France. As the first LNG-fueled ship in MSC Cruises’ fleet, she will run on this fuel while at berth in Doha. Being the most environmentally friendly marine fuel currently available, her air emissions will thus be kept to a minimum, according to a statement from MSC.

The cruise ships will be served by shuttle buses which will take fans to Qatar’s transport infrastructure, including Doha Metro, from where they will be able to access stadiums, fan zones and other attractions.

In addition to floating hotels, Qatar’s other accommodation options will include hotels, apartments and fan villages.