Visit London rejects ETOA claims that London won’t benefit from Olympic Games

Visit London has dismissed a report by the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) claiming that the city may not see tourism benefits from hosting the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012.

The tourist board rejected the points laid out in the ETOA report, which claimed that if London followed the same pattern as Beijing and other recent host cities of the Olympic Games, tourism numbers were likely to fall significantly.

It said that its own research put the estimated additional tourism revenues from the London 2012 Olympic Games at £1.5b over ten years, and highlighted the fact that visitors would experience value for money when visiting the capital because of the introduction of the capital’s Fair Pricing and Practice Charter during the Olympic Games.

Visit London also argued that London’s transport infrastructure would cope with the added tourist numbers, saying that the city was “already one of the most accessible in the world”. It pointedg to improvement programmes that should ensure the network met anticipated increased passenger numbers.

Visit London’s chief executive, Sally Chatterjee, said: “It’s impossible to compare Olympic cities directly. London is the world’s most visited destination by foreign travellers and one of the most accessible cities in the world. We believe the London 2012 Olympic Games will bring an influx of new visitors to London.

“Olympic year will be one of the most exciting times in our history and no-one will want to miss out. We’re expecting the London 2012 Olympic Games to deliver nearly £1.5 billion in economic benefit to the city from increased tourism revenues over ten years.”

London Olympic tourism action plan launched >>

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By Rosie Birkett

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