2012 Olympic Games Unlikely to Boost Tourism in London

Despite the projected arrival of over one million tourists to watch the 2012 Olympic Games in London, authorities believe the big sport event won´t help the local travel industry.

Countries that stage the Games suffer a drop in tourism in the years around the event, the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) study claims.

ETOA said regular tourists are deterred as they perceive a “full, disrupted, congested and over-priced” city. The tourism organization, Visit London, said the Games were a “long-term investment” in the visitor economy.

Previously tourism experts predicted the Olympics would offer the UK tourist sector its “biggest-ever opportunity”. But ETOA executive director, Tom Jenkins, said while it was important the London Games were a success we must not “assume that there is any benefit flowing to tourism”.

However, Visit London said it recognized the majority of the economic benefit would come “in the opportunities that will be created before and especially afterwards”.