One of the world’s busiest and buzziest cities came to a halt in March 2020 when the coronavirus crisis caused the shutdown of London’s tourism industry.
There are signs of recovery now the capital has reopened, but the number of domestic and international visitors remains well below pre-pandemic levels. According to one forecast, overseas trips in 2021 will be just 18 per cent of 2019 levels[1], and will not fully recover until 2025[2].
London was the third most visited city in the world prior to the pandemic, welcoming a record 21.7 million inbound visitors in 2019[3] – so what will it take to return to this level?
The London Assembly Economy Committee will meet tomorrow to discuss the recovery of the tourism industry. The guests are:
- Justine Simons, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries
- Allen Simpson, Acting Chief Executive Officer, London & Partners
- Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive, UKHospitality
- Despina Tsatsas, Executive Director, Young Vic
- Sandra Botterell, Executive Director of Marketing and Commercial Enterprise, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, 13 October from 10am, in the Chamber at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
Follow us @LondonAssembly
Notes to editors
1. 2021 tourism forecast, VisitBritain, 3 September 2021
2. UK Tourism Scenario Forecasts, Report prepared by Tourism Economics for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), March 2021
3. Tourism Recovery Plan, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), June 2021
4. Full agenda papers.
5. Shaun Bailey AM, Chairman of the Economy Committee, is available for interview.
6. Find out more about the work of the Economy Committee.
7. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more information, please contact Emma Bowden in the Assembly Media Office on 07849 303897. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.