Research released at the World Travel Market (WTM) Conference London has found the UK will welcome an additional 330,000 international visitors as a direct result of hosting the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Euromonitor International’s Head of Travel and Tourism Research, Caroline Bremner, told senior travel industry delegates at the event organised by Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), the UK will welcome 29.4m international visitors this year, a 2 per cent increase on 2011 (588,000).
The number of international visitors coming for London 2012 represents less than one per cent of the total UK inbound market.
Bremner told delegates that domestic visitors were crucial to the success of the games, saying that around 70 per cent of the eight million tickets sold had gone to British people.
Another speaker at the event EasyJet UK MD, Paul Simmons, said that the airline had seen “no significant impact on bookings” because of the Olympics and suggested that “BA would probably say the same”.
Furthermore, London hotels appear to be missing out, according to the world’s biggest online travel business. Expedia MD UK, Andy Washington, said that worldwide bookings for flights into Manchester Airport during the three weeks of the Olympics are 40 per cent ahead of the same period last year. International bookings into Scottish airports are 31 per cent higher.
“I can’t say for sure that these people are staying in the regions and travelling into London to see the Games,” Washington said, “but I can’t think of any other reason why the growth should be so big”.
Washington admitted that London hotel prices during the games had been high thus far, but average daily rates were likely to come down as more rooms are released for tourists.
Hoseasons Group MD, Geoff Cowley, said his business was not able to comment because it does not have any London-based product but he said that Hoseasons has participated in the government-backed 20.12 per cnet promotion because it wanted to be part of the legacy that domestic tourism would benefit from once the Games concluded.
TUI UK MD, David Burling, said that “the inbound and outbound industries need to come together so that the authorities make sure the airports work”.
RTE Chairman World Travel Market Fiona Jeffery said: “With less than 100 days to go, the Olympics were likely to be discussed at WTM Vision Conference – London Vision. Euromonitor International’s findings suggest that while the number of international visitors may appear modest, the real benefit of London 2012 could be the long-term boost to domestic tourism.”
WTM Vision Conference series was launched in 2009 in London expanding to Milan and Dubai (at the Reed Travel Exhibitions’ Arabian Travel Market) in 2011.
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