London enjoys boost in tourism

28 April 2005

London enjoys boost in tourism

According to recent figures, London is currently experiencing an increase in tourism, and 2005 is expected to be a record year.

Based on the figures revealed by Visit London organisation, the number of foreign visitors to London is estimated to go up by 3.5%, which means an increase of 13.85 million this year.

The market share of tourism all over the world of London has also gained some momentum from 2003’s 1.69% to 2004’s 1.76%.

Visit London organisation announced that low aeroplane fares from Europe and growth in economy in east Europe have helped tourism boost in London.

The recent figures imply recovery of industry in London, which had suffered successive blows in the past.

The market share of London from all over the tourism market in the UK gained an appraisal from 47.4% in 2003 to 48.7% in 2004.

Local visitors from EU increased from 5.7 million in 2003 to 6.5 million in 2004, while tourists from the US increased from 2.6 million to 2.8 million.

Revenues from foreign visitors in 2005 are projected at £6.65b — an increase of almost 3.3% from 2004.

Commercial director of Visit London organisation David Hornby revealed that the recent figures have brought delight to people in tourism department of London. He added that the success was brought by low fare flights and economic developments in Russia and east Europe.

He has observed that visitors are attracted to city which has diverse culture, bars and attractions.