The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today launched the latest stage of his Let’s Do London campaign to encourage visitors from around the UK back to the capital following the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry.
The Mayor is encouraging people from across the UK to visit and make the most of the capital’s cultural gems and unique attractions.
Data from Springboard shows that footfall across the West End this year is 24 per cent down compared to 2019, before the pandemic.
Today the Mayor is launching the latest chapter of his Let’s Do London campaign to attract audiences outside of London to the capital, with adverts across TV, radio and social media.
Led by London’s business growth and destination agency, London & Partners, this £2m phase of the Mayor’s campaign will encourage people across the country to visit and stay overnight in London by shining a spotlight on the capital’s wide range of attractions and entertainment.
Prior to the pandemic, London was the third most visited city on the planet, with a thriving tourism sector accounting for as many as one in five jobs in London and contributing almost 12 per cent of the city’s gross domestic product.
Last year, the Mayor launched the biggest domestic tourism campaign the capital had ever seen – Let’s Do London – to encourage visitors back to the capital. This brought in an additional £81m in spending and 330,000 overnight visitors to the capital.
Earlier this year, the Mayor extended this campaign across the world when he launched in New York the largest international tourism campaign the city has ever seen. It includes £7m to encourage international tourists back to London, £2m to attract overnight UK visitors and £1m for reaching out to Londoners.
2022 has already been an exceptional year for the capital with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the 50th Anniversary of Pride in London, the Wimbledon Championships and the opening of the pioneering ABBA Voyage show at a custom-made theatre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
This fantastic entertainment will continue throughout the summer with the UEFA Women’s EURO championship at Brentford and Wembley, a series of special events to mark the 25th anniversary of Shakespeare’s Globe, and the return of Notting Hill Carnival and the Formula-E London Grand Prix.
The Elizabeth Line has also opened this summer, giving visitors a new high-speed route between east and west London.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“London is the greatest city in the world, with incredible cultural attractions, unique experiences and adventures to enjoy for a wide-range of budgets. This fantastic tourism offer helps to drive our economy by supporting businesses and jobs across the capital.
“I’m proud that my Let’s Do London campaign has already helped to bring backs hundreds of thousands of tourists back to London, but I am determined to show even more people across the country and the rest of the world that our capital is ready to welcome them.”
Laura Citron, CEO of Visit London said:
“It’s been great to welcome visitors from across the UK to London – they have been so important to London’s tourism, hospitality and culture businesses over the tough pandemic years. We are building on that, inviting visitors from across the UK to keep visiting their capital. Brits don’t have to go abroad to experience the thrills of a diverse, global city – London is a train ride away.
“Tourism is vital to London’s economy, so it’s important that we continue to promote London as a top visitor destination for both UK and international visitors. We’re excited to work with our industry partners to launch the next phase of the ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign.”
Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO of UKHospitality said:
“The diverse and wonderful reasons for visiting London are as strong and plentiful as ever, so it’s only right that, while inbound tourism makes its recovery, domestic holidaymakers get to experience London while it is a little more accessible than most summer seasons. With the brand new Elizabeth Line, our attractions open and a dazzling events calendar to plan around, there’s perhaps no better time to come to the capital.”
