Industry leaders fear closure of Visit London
The British Hospitality Association has written to London mayor Boris Johnson and business secretary Vince Cable expressing fears that Visit London could be axed just ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.
It said it was extremely concerned at the proposal to withdraw funding from the tourist body from next April as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
The government announced last month that it was axing the £480m settlement to the London Development Agency, which pays £11.7m a year to Visit London.
Airports operator BAA, which also provides financial support to the tourist body, and other business leaders have already written to Cable warning him that unless Visit London is properly funded the capital will suffer.
British Hospitality Association chief executive Ufi Ibrahim said in her letter to Johnson and Cable: “The result of the withdrawal of LDA’s £12m annual funding is that VisitLondon faces closure – just at the time when the 2012 Olympic Games are nearly upon us."
The letter, which is also signed by Ciaran Fahy, chairman of BHA London and managing director of the Cavendish Hotel, went on: “We are therefore very concerned that funding to promote London is in danger of ceasing altogether in March next year, not least with the Olympics fast approaching.
“Without a tourist board, London will lose out badly as a world tourism destination in the coming years.”
Ibrahim said that London, which is the gateway for three-quarters of all visits to the UK, generates over £16bn in tourism revenue. BHA’s own research shows that the hospitality industry employs over 400,000 people in the capital.
Visit London’s work is estimated to generate an additional £300m in tourism revenue at a total cost of £12m of public funding and £6m in private investment, according to BHA.
“To put all that revenue in jeopardy just doesn’t make sense,” added Ibrahim.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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