Latest stats from The London Visitor Index indicate a record year for tourism in London in 2004…
Latest stats from The London Visitor Index indicate a record year for tourism in London in 2004. The index reports a good year for all sectors of the industry and in particular a boom in business travel likely to escalate in 2005.
Face-to-face meetings are again taking precedence over conference calls leading to a rise in business visitor numbers. This can be attributed to increased business activity underpinned by rising equity prices and confidence across the City.
With an overall annual score of 65/100, the index shows a jump of 20 points compared to 2003`s 45/100. As expected, long haul markets led the way with US visitors up 10% and Japanese visitors up 15%. Also predicted was the influx of Eastern European visitors, where numbers were up 20%.
The news comes as no surprise to London hoteliers, according to surveys from both PFK and Deloitte, there was a significant increase in hotel occupancy levels and rooms rates during 2004.
Robert Barnard, partner at PKF hotel consultancy services, said: London hotels should be able to look forward to an exciting year. The capital`s enduring appeal throughout the world as a commercial and leisure destination should ensure that it builds on the solid platform of 2004.
The conference and exhibition sector too is optimistic about the year ahead. Jeremy Rees, Exhibition Sales Director, Earls Court & Olympia, said: `We`ve got a great entertainment programme ranging from product launches to headlining music acts. In general, trade shows are growing steadily, and EC&O are hosting more consumer shows than ever before.`
David Hornby, Visit London`s Commercial Director, said: With the Olympic bid, more and more large scale events and an exciting calendar of arts and entertainment to look forward to – we have every reason to believe that 2005 is going to be even better than 2004.
The London Visitor Index is a monthly composite index of leading visitor surveys. Compiled by Visit London, the official visitor organisation for London, the index gives a quick indication of current trading conditions.
Business travel is up 4% year on year over 2003 and spend is up 9%.
Business Travel statistics since 1999
| Data | Visits (000) | Nights (000) | Spend (
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.  02/05/2024
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