Weather and Olympics Blamed for Fall in London Visitor Numbers

Posted on 12 October, 2012 by Neil Bird

A combination of the wettest summer for 100 years and the effect of the Olympics led to the worst trading period “in living memory” for many London attractions, new figures reveal. Some attractions suffered a 60 per cent drop in visitor numbers while shops, restaurants and cafés all experienced a fall in consumer spending.

 

The figures come from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) and show that London saw an average decrease in visitor numbers of 15 per cent between May and August compared with the same period in 2011.

Outdoor attractions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens and London Zoo were the hardest hit by the poor weather, suffering a fall of 21.3 per cent. Spending in retail and catering commercial properties dropped by 9.7 per cent and 12.5 per cent respectively.

The heritage and culture sector also experienced a significant fall in visitor numbers over the summer. The Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London saw a slump of 20.3 per cent while visitors to the capital’s museums and galleries was down by 13.1 per cent.

Bernard Donoghue, the chief executive of Alva, said the appalling weather and the Olympics had led to a difficult summer for some of the city’s most popular attractions and resulted in the worst trading period since the panic over foot and mouth in 2001.

He said; “In the first couple of weeks of the Olympics, some of the key central London attractions experienced a huge fall of up to 61 per cent in visitor numbers compared to the same weeks last year.”

“Overseas visitors who stayed away from London during the Olympic period and Londoners who avoided the city led to media headlines of London being described as a ghost town.”

Alva now hopes that TV viewers who loved the way London looked during the Games will flock to the city in the coming months. The news coincides with an attack on the government from the editors of the Good Hotel Guide, who say that budget cuts led to the UK wasting the opportunity to develop tourism during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics.

Weather-and-Olympics-Blamed-for-Fall-in-London-Visitor-Numbers




Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Recent Posts

Interest Rates Impact on Commercial Property

Commercial Property Investment Outlook for 2023

The best places to stay on the Riviera

The latest property data has identified Newquay as the fastest property seller’s market in the UK

Investing in your garden can increase your property’s value

French Riviera temping high-end homebuyers

How can the ownership rights of my commercial property impact a business sale?

Should I incorporate virtual property viewings permanently?

Investment expected to increase across Asia-Pacific in 2021

UK property industry slows as the conclusion of tax break looms

BNP Paribas cautioned investors on Friday as debt-trading bonanza that increased its earnings this past year

Over 300,000 property purchases fell through in 2020 – we show the most frequent motives and the best way to get your house sale back on track

House Prices in the Capital Surpass £500,000

Optimism from the Bank of England’s chief economist

The most expensive commercial properties.

Businesses operating from shared premises will miss out on grants