London tourism rates plunge during Olympics

In London, many businesses complain they are being sidelined as tourists make a beeline for the Olympic Games and avoid the capital's other attractions and shopping destinations, while non-sports fans opt to stay at home or delay their trips.

From The Guardian:

A week in and expectations of a major boost to growth are rapidly being downgraded. There are certainly plenty of overseas tourists in London, but the capital always has lots of foreign visitors at this time of year. Net tourism would be down if the number of potential visitors deterred by horror stories about gridlock and fears about being ripped off exceeded the numbers coming to London for the judo, athletics and beach volleyball. Evidence of half-full hotels suggests this may be the case. An additional issue is the per-capita spend of the two categories of tourists. Someone coming to London to watch sport for two weeks is likely to spend less than someone who hits the shops of the West End and Knightsbridge every day for a fortnight.

Related:

• The Prime Minister on Thursday urged people to "come back into the capital".
• Jeremy Hunt admits Olympic Games have put off London's tourists.