With the Olympic afterglow hanging in the air, routine is gradually returning to the streets of London. Commuters have started to plod along their regular routes, taxi drivers are breathing a collective sigh of relief and residents can now process the previous weeks’ events.
The formal conclusion to London’s 2012 Olympic Games came and went on Sunday with pageantry, speeches and a veritable ode to British pop music.
But as 116,000 some-odd visitors crush into Heathrow Airport for flights home, onlookers can’t help but wonder: Were the 2012 Games worth the $14.5-billion price tag?
While officials are still crunching numbers -- trying to decipher how many tourists visited, or avoided London this summer -- tourism companies and other businesses are reporting losses.
One survey by UKinbound, a trade association representing businesses dependent on British tourism, found that tourist traffic fell across Britain during the games, not just in London.
More than 250 tour operators, hoteliers and visitor attractions were involved in the survey. The consensus appears to be that -- despite an estimated 300,000 Olympic visitors -- the Games were not a dramatic boon to London businesses, as some might have thought.
Of those surveyed, 88 per cent reported some losses during the Olympic Games compared to the same period last year. The businesses also reported that visitor numbers were down by 10 to 30 per cent compared to last summer, according to the survey.
Some theorize that other tourists might have avoided London, hoping to steer clear of the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, some restaurateurs and retail shop owners are reporting that those who did visit weren’t exactly big spenders.
"The people who came to the games really didn't do very much sightseeing, didn't do very much shopping, didn't do very much eating out," Miles Quest, a spokesman for the British Hospitality Association, told The Associated Press.
On a more encouraging note, London’s hotel occupancy was at 84 per cent -- double what Beijing and Sydney saw during their Olympics.
As well, Visa reported that international visitors to Britain spent more than US$705 million on their cards during the first week of the games. That figure was up by eight per cent compared to the same time period last year. Visa was the only credit card accepted at Olympic venues.
Londontypically sees about 1.5 million tourists in August. This year’s numbers aren’t expected to be available until September.
In the meantime, the city has shifted its focus to the Paralympic Games, which run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9. Organizers report that 2.1 million tickets have been sold for this year’s games.
With files from The Associated Press
