Tourist Numbers to London Take Nosedive

Even the hugely-popular Tutankhamen exhibition has failed to stop tourist numbers to London slumping 4 percent in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest figures from Visit London.

The number of foreign tourists rose 6 per cent in the first six months but total numbers were down 7 percent in the second half –and for the year the figure was down 4 percent overall. For 2007 overall, the number of foreign visitors was down 4 percent on 2006 to 25.5.

The biggest fall came from North America, where the weak dollar and the credit crunch resulted in a 9.5 per cent drop in visitors. European visitors, buoyed by a strong Euro, dropped on 0.1 per cent, while visits from elsewhere fell 2.8 percent. The amount spent by visitors to London last year did rise 3.4 percent to £10.4 billion, compared with 2006.

Visit London also report further signs on a slowdown, saying hoteliers growth rates are slowing and visitors are trading down to cheaper accommodation.