UNITED KINGDOM/FILE: European tour operators report a 95 percent drop in bookings for London during the 2012 Games, but British government says its looking at the long term gains in the global tourism market

Record ID: 332443

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM/FILE: European tour operators report a 95 percent drop in bookings for London during the 2012 Games, but British government says its looking at the long term gains in the global tourism market
  • Date: 9th November 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 7, 2011) (REUTERS) CITY SIGHTSEEING RED BUS ON DISPLAY AT WORLD TRAVEL MARKET TRADE SHOW (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOM JENKINS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, "ETOA" (EUROPEAN TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION) SAYING "My plea really is not one of anti-Olympics, it is merely saying 'Fine, have a party, have a great party, but don't pretend it is great for tourism." LONDON TOURISM EXECUTIVES TALKING TO PEOPLE IN FRONT OF LONDON RED BUS AT TRADE SHOW CITY SIGHTSEEING TOUR SIGN ON FRONT OF BUS
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports,Travel / Tourism
  • Reuters ID: LVA285PI3L2B1MP48TQFB7Z7QKAJ
  • Story Text: Just a short distance from the Olympic Stadium, in the Excel Centre, an Olympic sports venue itself, London tour operators are struggling to sell their London 2012 message at a world tourism trade show.
    Tour operators organising trips to Britain are seeing up to a 95 percent downturn in bookings during the London 2012 Olympics, a survey by an industry group said, with sports fans failing to compensate for those wanting to avoid a packed city.
    The warning has sparked a debate about the immediate impact on tourism of the July 27-August 12 2012 Games and its longer-term effects.
    The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) surveyed 28 of its members, responsible for two million tourists per year, and estimates that approximately 3.5 billion pounds ($5.6 billion) could be lost to the UK economy during this time for both satellite venues and the capital city.
    "We've just done a survey of our members who bring about 2 million people into London every year, and, according to them, they are looking at a 60 percent decline in tourist numbers during July and August of next year and a 95 percent decline during the Olympic Games themselves," said Tom Jenkins, Executive Director of ETOA.
    There are roughly 125,000 hotel rooms in London. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has earmarked 45,000 of those, but they can return any untaken rooms at no cost.
    According to ETOA figures, Olympic visitors took 15,000 rooms at at the Athens Games in 2004. Their highest estimate for Olympic room take-up in London next year is 35,000.
    They claim that "normal" tourists will not be taking up the slack, as they are put off by the Games.
    Jenkins said that other sectors of London's tourism market will suffer dramatically by having an influx of Olympic tourists at the cost of other visitors.
    "These people they don't behave like normal tourists, they are coming and in some cases they are paying a high premium in order to watch sport. They are coming because they are interested in fencing, they are interested in volleyball, they are interested in Greek wrestling. These people are not coming to London in order to go to the theatre, or to do shopping or to go shopping or to go sight-seeing or see attractions and it is these businesses that we are very concerned about," he said.
    British Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who was speaking at the Excel tourism trade show told Reuters that he thinks it is wrong to look at one set of numbers at this point.
    "We are in the middle of a global economic crisis. This is a very difficult time for the European economy in particular and I don't think it is particularly surprising to see those numbers at this stage. But remember that what we are talking about it is a campaign that extends well beyond Europe....What we are going to do is to make sure that we harness the opportunity of next year to have a long term, sustained tourism legacy," Hunt said.
    Every Olympic Games displaces tourists - that is not new, argues London & Partners spokeswoman Martine Ainsworth-Wells.
    The city's official promotional organisation has been working with the travel trade to quell their fears about visiting London and launched in September "Limited Edition London" to showcase events between now and the Games including celebrations of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next June.
    Ainsworth-Wells told Reuters that travel patterns have changed dramatically in the last few years. "Five or six years ago, people would plan three to six months in advance; now travel plans can be made with just a week or two weeks' notice. We've still got plenty of time to persuade people."
    Rather than focusing on visitor numbers during the Olympics itself, the UK Government is hoping the event will act as a catalyst for future growth.
    ETOA's Jenkins said he is not advocating countries not hosting Olympics, but more of a realistic viewpoint on the immediate tourism gains.
    "My plea really is not one of anti-Olympics, it is merely saying 'Fine, have a party, have a great party, but don't pretend it is great for tourism," he said.
    If, as the ETOA worries, overseas visitors who come to watch the Olympic sport do just that, rather than sightseeing, shopping or going to the theatre, there's always the domestic market to keep numbers up.
    Then there's also the London 2012 Festival, a 12-week programme of concerts, exhibitions, films and live events which mark the culmination of the four-year Cultural Olympiad.

    (ends)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register