UK tourism to gain £2.1bn from Olympics

Providing better service to tourists and improving accommodation are among key issues to be tackled to ensure the UK tourism industry capitalises on the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The strategy follows the publication of VisitBritain and Visit London research showing the tourism benefits from the London 2012 Games are estimated to be worth up to £2.1 billion.

The Oxford Economics tourism impact study on the 2012 Games forecasts that the 2012 London Games will generate tourism gains totalling £2.3 billion (at 2006 prices). Once allowances for displacement of visitors are made, the contribution is reduced to £2.1 billion for the UK.

It comes as it emerged that only 53% of accommodation in the UK is signed up to the national star-grading scheme and only 34% of London’s accommodation has any kind of quality mark. And the UK ranks only 14^th out of 40 countries for “our welcome”.

The report – Winning: A Tourism Strategy for 2012 and Beyond – drawn up with VisitBritain and Visit London is designed to helped the industry gear up to handle millions of new visitors prior to and after 2012. 

The document sets out how tourism must:

• engage all UK businesses in a new campaign aimed at domestic and overseas visitors starting at the Beijing handover in 2008;

• develop a skilled workforce providing better customer service;

• drive up quality in accommodation by increasing the number of places (to 85%) that are accredited under the national star-grading scheme;

• promote the UK as a key location for international business visits and conferences; and

• improve sustainability by ensuring that the needs of the environment are central to the development of the tourism industry.

The blueprint was unveiled by tourism minister Margaret Hodge, who said: “From the London Eye to the Lake District we have some of the finest tourist attractions in the world. We’ve got a good image as a tourist destination – but I want that image to be excellent.

“London 2012 is a huge opportunity for the UK tourism industry. In five years time millions of visitors will be coming here for the first time and we want them to come back time and time again – and bring their family and friends. It’s about creating a lasting legacy.

“This strategy will help every sector of the industry – from the smallest B&B to the largest chain hotel, from the quiet seaside town to the noisy theme park – gear up, improve its service and improve its welcome in time for 2012.”

VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright said: “The Olympic and Paralympics Games represent a decade of opportunity for the whole of the UK with benefits in the years before, during and after the event itself. VisitBritain is already committed to raising the quality of the visitor experience with a Welcome to Britain Charter in development while we also encourage more accommodation providers and attractions to join the quality-assessment schemes. Furthermore our international marketing strategies, working with our partners, will help to develop the global perceptions of Britain and generate ever more visitors and win more major events.

“With these strategies in place coupled to the right commitment and investment from public and private sectors, we can leverage our global network of offices – particularly in emerging markets with the greatest potential for future growth – to create the biggest audience for British destinations.”

by Phil Davies