Let’s Do London! New tourism campaign encourages UK tourists to capital

Buckingham Palace, Borough market and The Beatles are being used in a £2m promotional campaign aiming to encourage tourists from the rest of the country to visit London.

Mayor Sadiq Khan on Monday unveiled the latest phase of his Let’s Do London initiative to revitalise the capital’s hospitality and entertainments industry.

It came after Springboard data showed that footfall in the West End for the year to date was 24 per cent down on 2019.

There were more than 12 million overnight domestic visits to London in 2019 and Mr Khan sees domestic and international tourists as vital to boosting the capital’s economy and getting passengers back on the Tube and buses.

A 30-second video advert promoting London also features Carnaby Street, the London Eye, the Tower of London, the Serpentine and Richmond park alongside Abbey Wood and the Harry Potter platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross station.

A TV, radio and social media campaign will target Scotland and the East of England, West Midlands, North West, East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

Laura Citron, chief executive of Visit London, said: “Brits don’t have to go abroad to experience the thrills of a diverse, global city – London is a train ride away.”

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that international visitors to the UK – the majority of whom will come to London – were 27 times higher in April than a year ago, when travel restrictions were still in place, but still a third lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The GLA Economics team at City Hall predicts that the capital’s economy will grow by 4.5 per cent this year but fall to 1.6 per cent next year due to the cost of living crisis.

The report said: “The outlook for the UK’s economy remains very uncertain at the moment, and this situation applies to the capital as well.

“There are also direct losses to London from reduced tourism and trade, and it is implausible that the world’s economy will fully recover from the pandemic crisis until all the world’s population is vaccinated.”

Last year the start of the Let’s Do London campaign attracted 330,000 visitors to the capital, generating an additional £81m.

A total of £10m is being spent on the campaign this year, including £7m to encourage international tourists back to London, £2m to attract overnight UK visitors and £1m for reaching out to Londoners.

Prior to the pandemic, London was the third most visited city in the world, 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.

Mr 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.”