 The capital has received a £100 million boost thanks to Visit London’s successful ‘Only in London’ campaign which comes as latest figures also show tourist numbers have increased by over 200,000.
Results published show the £2 million campaign, launched last Spring, generated nearly £100 million in economic benefits to the capital – a return of around 50 to 1.
More than 2.1 million holiday visitors came to London during the third quarter of 2009 – up 11 percent on the same period in 2008 – and spent an additional £172 million, 17 percent more than the previous year.
The capital’s major shopping districts have also seen a welcome increase in trade, with the West End reporting sales up over eight percent on December 2008 and central London seeing a 12 percent leap on the same period. London and the West End continue to outperform the rest of the UK which recorded a rise of only around four percent.
Supported by the London Development Agency and led by Visit London, the international marketing campaign rolled out through the UK, Europe and North America in the summer promoting the unique features of the city as well as great value deals, due to the exchange rates of the euro and the dollar. The campaign was supported by an additional £400,000 from the four central London boroughs – Westminster, Camden, the City of London and Kensington & Chelsea – which represent around 50 percent of tourism spend in the capital.
Early indications of its enormous success saw the Mayor invest a further £400,000 in the campaign in November, extending its run until the end of March 2010.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'Clearly our campaign is hitting the mark. Despite tough times at home and abroad visitors continue to vote with their dollars, euros and pounds, maintaining London’s position as the world’s number one tourist destination. London’s resilience and ability to buck the trend is down to many things, but I am confident that it has much to do with its unique heritage, a dynamic culture and so much to see and do whether you are here for a day, a week or longer. But we can never be complacent and, as these encouraging new results show, we must continue promoting our fabulous city around the world at every opportunity.'
Visit London Chief Executive, Sally Chatterjee, said: 'The Only in London campaign provided us with a strong platform to promote the unique aspects of London to visitors at home and abroad. The feedback from visitors has been incredibly positive and is reflected in the outstanding economic benefit delivered by the campaign. London is the world’s most popular international city and we will continue to promote the capital proactively in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond.'
Contact
Website: www.visitlondon.com/business
Website: www.visitlondon.com/eventsforlondon
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