MERSEYSIDE’S two economic development agencies have joined forces to sell the region to the world.

Liverpool Vision’s new Marketing Liverpool arm will handle tourism promotion for the whole region, on behalf of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership.

The move will remove a huge layer of duplication, and use resources better at a time when cash is tight.

Together they are planning to bid for £2m for a range of marketing activities.

Liverpool Vision, itself an arm of the city council, recently set up Marketing Liverpool to better promote the city.

Chris Brown, who was hired to run the new set-up, said despite the tie-up the days of large publicly funded marketing campaigns for Merseyside were over.

“What we need to do is embrace the private sector and get everybody singing from the same hymn book, and maximise our efforts through viral marketing.”

He said he hoped the International Festival for Business, which is being held in Liverpool in June and July next year, could be used as Capital of Culture was in 2008 to reposition the city and the region.

Next year The Open golf will be back at the Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, which will present another big marketing opportunity, said Mr Brown.

Under the new arrangements, the LEP board retains its overall responsibility for the strategic development of the City Region Visitor Economy, with responsibility for marketing the destination being undertaken by the new Marketing Liverpool unit.

It is intended that the LEP and its partners will commission Marketing Liverpool to deliver a range of activities to promote the City Region with Liverpool as the agreed “attack brand”.