Olympics change perception of Britain
A third of people said they were more likely to visit Britain after the success of the London 2012 Olympics.
A survey of 9,000 adults in 11 countries by the British Council showed the Olympics, Paralympics and Diamond Jubilee have all helped improve how the UK is viewed by other countries.
Visit Britain has already predicted the events will being an extra one million overseas visitors to the UK in 2013, an increase of 3%, and representing a contribution of around £19bn to the British economy.
The British Council survey found:
* 36% agreed they would be more likely to visit Britain as a result of the Games, while 18% disagreed
* 64% agreed the UK did a good job of organising the Olympics, while 6% disagreed
* 35% agreed the Olympics had made the UK a more attractive place to study or do business, while 18% disagreed
* 31% agreed the Diamond Jubilee had improved the world view of the UK, while 3% disagreed
* 52% agreed UK people were friendlier than anticipated – 5% thought they were less friendly
* 56% now have a more positive perception of how the UK views disability, while 3% said it was more negative
* 46% said the Games had made them think more positively about the UK’s sense of humour – 5% more negatively
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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