The United States remains tops in London’s tourism market, according to stats released by Visit London, as leaders of the tourism industry convene this week at London’s annual World Travel Market.
This, despite the dollar’s worst performance against the pound in 26 years. That whimper you hear every morning? A collective sigh from your American coworkers, mates, and visitors, as they monitor the daily exchange rate.
The American market, though continuing to send forth legions of bum-bag wearing tourists (yes, Londonist knows it generalises. It is sorry) to our capital city, will likely see a decline, from 2.5 million in 2006 to an estimated 2.25 million in 2012, a slowdown which parallels that of the U.S. economy. France and Germany are expected to maintain their spots as the second and third largest markets for London tourism, whilst Italy and Poland are forecast to round out the top five. The numbers of visitors from China and Turkey, meanwhile, are predicted to increase by as much as 30 percent in the next 5 years.
It seems appropriate that a city as diverse and changeable as London should play host to a “changing mix of visitors” in the years ahead. Tourists, of all nationalities, heart London. Can you blame them really?
By Julie Palmer-Hoffman
Image by kris_wotipka courtesy of the Creative Commons licence.
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