Visitors to London buck the trend
Jul 7th, 2009 by savvyclub
Dear Friends,
Today’s blog is more serious than usual. This month, the Office of National Statistics announced that the UK economy had contracted again and more financial gloom was forecast. Even though earlier in the month, the CBI was predicting the beginning of a slow and gradual recovery. Either way, I decided to explore some of the statistics for tourism in London to see how this was affecting visitors to our capital city.
When I began researching the topic, I was quite surprised at what I found:
- Rather than experiencing a slump in visitors, the total spend from visitors to London has actually increased year on year until last year 2008, it was the highest for the last eight years.
- London, with its unbeatable historic, cultural and leisure sites is still the No. 1 city destination in the world for international travelers.
Here are 5 quick reasons why I think this is so the case:
ONE: London has exceptional hotels with exceptional standards of service.
TWO: Visiting London is made easier because we have FIVE airports, receiving international tourists via the major carriers from thousands of destinations across the world.
THREE: London shopping is some of the best in the world; the weakened pound makes shopping in London very attractive to many foreign visitors. Harrods alone is worth the trip! Foreign visitors to London spent over £8.2 billion in the city last year, despite the economic troubles.
FOUR: London is a historic and culturally vibrant city with literally hundreds of galleries, museums, theatres and places of historic interest. International visitors really value our cultural wealth when they visit London.
FIVE: London has some of the finest dining establishments in the world. With their unique style and charm, you can forget Paris, New York and Tokyo, food lovers choose London.
All this leads me to a conclusion. Regardless of the global financial crisis and all the media proclamations of doom, people are still visiting London from all over the world and people are still spending their money in the city. Individuals still want to enjoy themselves, to treat themselves to luxury holidays, to experience all that life and London has to offer.
Kind Regards
Kim Rix
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