Tourism needs domestic boost
Numbers of domestic visitors to London are falling according to the Mayor of London who has rallied business organisations to promote the capital across the UK.
Tourism supports around 700,000 jobs in the capital, but while London remains one of the most visited cities in the world with 32 million tourists in 2017 generating almost £26 billion for the economy, only 12.2 million of visitors cam from England, Scotland and Wales.
Day visits to London reduced by 3% during 2017 and spend from day visitors went down from £14.4 billion to £12.6 billion.
London & Partners (L&P) currently promotes London internationally but now will have responsibility for co-ordinating an industry-led Domestic Tourism Consortium that will promote the capital to domestic tourists as well.
The Mayor of London will commit £600,000 to the Consortium over the next two years to address the decline in domestic tourist numbers. A number of London's Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and landlords have also joined forces to create the Consortium and provide substantial investment towards the campaign.
Consortium members include the City of London Corporation, Covent Garden, GLA, Heart of London Business Alliance, New West End Company, Shaftesbury PLC, South Bank BID, Transport for London and Visit Greenwich.
Jace Tyrrell, Chief Executive of New West End Company, a member of the Domestic Tourism Consortium said 'London's West End is the retail, gourmet and cultural heartland of the capital and important gateway to other UK tourist destinations, driving growth across the country. With the challenging economic times, the role the West End plays in retaining London's global position will become even more important post-Brexit, so it is vital to invest in its success now to safeguard London's future.'