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Olympics Lasting Legacies


WITH THE EVENTS OF LONDON 2012 BEING BEAMED TO BILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD, HOW CAN THE UK’S ATTRACTIONS CAPITALISE ON THE INCREASED ATTENTION?


Julie Cramer • Journalist • attraCtions mangement T


he media excitement and buzz created by hosting the Olympic Games is inescapable, and even if most of the UK’s attractions won’t directly gain


financially from the six weeks of Olympic and Paralympic events, Britain’s tourism professionals are optimistic about the potential for creating a significant and lasting boost to inward bound tourism for many years to come. The UK’s tourism body, VisitBritain, is


forecasting a bumper year for tourists, with more than 30 million visitors due during 2012, spending a predicted £17.6bn (E21.3bn, US$30bn). VisitBritain also says it’s targeting an extra 4.6 million overseas visitors – and an extra £2.3bn (E2.8bn, $3.65bn) in visitor spend – by 2014-15 as a result of hosting the Games and staging the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations this summer. Chris Foy, head of the 2012 Games Unit


at VisitBritain, describes both events as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enhance


the image of the UK as a destination, showing the best that Britain’s heritage and attractions have to offer and creating a tourism legacy for years to come”. Those in the industry are equally bullish about the possibilities. John Stachiewicz, chair of the Association for Cultural Enterprises, which has more than 200 member organisations in the heritage and culture sector across the country, says:


“There’s definitely a whiff of excitement and optimism in the air. What we want to instil in our members is that it’s a great opportunity to showcase their business, create stronger displays that are more relevant to their core offer, redesign their websites and work with talented young designers to highlight new product ranges. It’s also an opportunity to work on raising the level of their customer service.”


VISITOR SURGE While Stachiewicz acknowledges that it’s uncertain whether Games visitors will extend their stay and venture further afield,


the national Portrait gallery’s olympics: Road to 2012 collection


he encourages organisations to focus on what the legacy could mean for them. “It has been observed by past Olympic


hosts that there’s often an overall decrease in visitors during the event, but then a surge later on. The question for the UK is, when will that surge come – and it could well start in the autumn and over the Christmas period.” Some visitor attractions may well benefit


from a slight upturn in summer visits from domestic tourists wishing to ‘escape’ the intense Games coverage, and there’s another potential market that Stachiewicz believes savvy sites could tap into. “We have to think creatively. For example, there will be around 20,000 international journalists covering the Games, many of whom might be twiddling their thumbs between certain events. With targeted press, can we get them to venture out and write articles about other parts of the UK and interesting attractions?” he asks. VisitBritain’s unprecedented £100m (E121.2m, $158.5m)-plus marketing


British gymnasts Beth Tweedle, Hannah Whelan, Jenni Pinches and Rebecca Tunney 72 Read Attractions Management online attractionsmanagement.com/digital


Diver Tom Daley by Bettina von Zwehl AM 2 2012 ©cybertrek 2012


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