The
capital's official visitor statistics for 2012, one of the most
exciting years in London's history, have today been revealed by
London & Partners, the Mayor's official promotional organisation.
The
positive figures from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) reveal
an increase in both visitor numbers and visitor spend during 2012.
Visitor
numbers increased year on year to 15.46 million visitors which is a
healthy rise of 1.1% in comparison to 2011. The rise of around
150,000 more visitors over the twelve months is the equivalent of
filling two Wembley stadiums.
The
increase of 1.1% is seen as exceptionally positive in light of the
current economic downturn in many European markets - two-thirds of
London's visitors audience comes from Europe. The much anticipated
displacement effect, which many other Olympic host cities have
experienced during Olympic years, appears to have been mitigated.
2012
also saw London expenditure rise to £10.08 billion which is an
increase of 7.0%. This very robust boost in tourism receipts for
2012, almost two-thirds of a billion pound increase, can be linked to
the strong Q3 period which includes the popular summer holiday
period, but also the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Figures indicate
that international visitors took advantage of the spectacle and
atmosphere of the Games.
The
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "2012 was an amazing year
in which we had a string of golden opportunities to show the world
why London is the best big city on earth. One of the most successful
Olympic & Paralympic Games in living memory, preceded by the
fantastic Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, gave us a platform to
shine to an audience of billions. It's clear that London's attraction
as a global visitor destination remained immensely strong in 2012
and, despite the predictions of the gloomsters and the
Olymposceptics, London was anything but a ghost town. Now the task is
to look forward and do everything we can to build on what we achieved
last summer and deliver the lasting legacy that was at the heart of
our Olympic bid."
Another
significant highlight of the figures also shows the Post Olympics
period of Q4 (September - December), which saw very strong growth in
visits with an increase of over 8%. This indicates no evidence of any
sustained post-Olympics hangover that other host-cities have
experienced in the past. Particularly positive results are indicated
from the emerging and developing economies including the BRIC
countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China which saw a significant
post-game boost in Q4, whereby visits rose around 18%.
In
spite of economic stress in the Eurozone, London's core European
markets performed well with a notable improvement, which highlights
that London is still a key destination for European visitors. But
2012 also saw a strong growth outside of the Eurozone especially from
the Nordic countries such as Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
As
a backdrop to the Olympic Games and Diamond Jubilee celebrations,
seen by billions around the world, 2012 was London's opportunity to
showcase what a great city it is to visit, study and do business in.
Gordon
Innes, CEO of London & Partners added: "London &
Partners worked closely with the tourism industry before, during and
after the Olympic Games to tackle displacement risks head on and make
the most of the global audience. Together, we developed compelling
reasons for people to travel to London and, following the Games, got
straight back into the market, reaching 120 million viewers who
watched the Games on TV and encouraging them to book a trip. We are,
therefore, very pleased to see that there has been a strong bounce
and London appears to be bucking the trend of earlier Olympic host
cities."
The
magic continues in London for 2013, with visitors attracted to the
capital by the array of new hotels, entertainment, attractions and
much more. Major events such as the reopening of the Olympic Park,
the 60th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation which will be home to
a string of music concerts and athletics events this summer will give
even more reason for visitors to return to London throughout the
year.