Mayor of London’s new tourism campaign provides £289m boost to the capital

A tourism campaign led by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to encourage visitors back to the capital has helped bring in £289m additional spending to London, new figures show today.

The Mayor expanded his Let’s Do London campaign, already the biggest domestic tourism campaign the capital has ever seen, earlier this year to reach international audiences and encourage even more people to enjoy everything London has to offer following the impact of the pandemic on our hospitality, culture, leisure and retail sectors.

The Mayor’s campaign is said to have been a “huge success”, delivering a return on investment of £28 for every £1 spent, bringing in an additional £289m spending to London. It is also estimated that the campaign will bring an additional 600,000 visitors to London from other parts of the UK, Germany, France and the USA.

The Mayor launched his Let’s Do London campaign last year to support the capital’s tourism industry after the “devastating” impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions saw the number of overnight stays in the capital more than halve.

Prior to the pandemic, London was the third most visited city on the planet with the “thriving” tourism sector accounting for as many as one in seven jobs and contributing almost 12 per cent of the capital’s gross domestic product. Visitors to London also went on to spend more than £640m in local economies outside of the capital.

Through the Let’s Do London campaign, the Mayor has been working with London’s business growth and destination agency, London & Partners, and the London Tourism Recovery Board, to encourage Londoners and tourists across the world to “enjoy the capital” by shining a spotlight on the “world-leading” range of attractions and entertainment.

This began with the biggest domestic tourism campaign the capital has ever seen and was extended earlier this year when the Mayor visited New York to launch the largest international tourism campaign London has ever seen.

This has included spending £7m to encourage international tourists back to London, £2m to attract overnight UK visitors and £1m for reaching out to Londoners.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Our hospitality, leisure and culture sectors are world-leading and a major driver of our economy, but they have had an incredibly difficult few years due to the impact of the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis. I’m delighted that my Let’s Do London campaign has helped bring in an additional £289m spending in London.

“I will continue to bang the drum for our capital and highlight our unparalleled offer to visitors from all round the world, as well as the many exciting free events that we have on offer, as we build a better, more prosperous city for all.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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