Liverpool is planning alternative accommodation options during the Eurovision Song Contest next May, with a cruise ship among one of the options.

Since Liverpool was announced as host city for Eurovision on Friday evening, most accommodation sold out within minutes and prices have gone sky high.

There are now widespread reports of existing bookings for 13 May – the evening of the final – being cancelled and relisted at vastly inflated rates.

The city council has urged people not to fall for the over-inflated prices and says it working on alternatives.

Liverpool City Council Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy Cllr Harry Doyle said he was disappointed that some accommodation providers have hiked prices.

“That’s normal apparently after the initial announcement,” he said on Twitter.

“We had planned for this and are looking at alternative arrangements incl a cruise ship and campsites.”

Marketing Liverpool Director Chris Brown said details other options would be released this week. He also said the plans ‘could involve cruise ships or a campsite’.

He added: “We do have a robust plan.”

Hotels on the outskirts, such as the Wirral, also appear to be fully booked and the council is also looking at options further out, in Manchester and Cheshire.

One woman tweeted to say the £260 room she’d booked for 13 May to attend a wedding had been moved to 14 May and the original date had been relisted at £3,500.

She added: “Booking.com are now fighting it for us.”

Another person tweeted to say: “Booked and paid for an Airbnb in Liverpool for #Eurovision for the weekend. 12 hours later and the booking has been cancelled and relisted an eye watering 204% increase! Cheers guys, you absolute chancers!”

Airbnb said it is ‘looking into’ the price hike.

The UK was chosen to host the event after British entrant Sam Ryder came second in the 2022 competition to Ukraine.