UK & Ireland London calling
Far from resting on its laurels, the UK’s capital city is aiming to attract more visitors out of season and into lesser-known areas, Debbie Ward discovers
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ncreasing visitor numbers and positive signs from emerging markets are prompting London to encourage tourists to experience new seasons and parts of the city. International arrivals to the capital grew by 4% year-on-year in 2017 to 19.8 million, while spending was up 14% to a record £13.5 billion. North American visits showed a particular growth – up 11% on 2016. Tracy Halliwell, director of tourism at the mayor’s official promotion agency, London & Partners, says: “It’s a testament to London’s enduring appeal that visitors continue to be drawn to our fantastic city to experience our ever-evolving cultural institutions, world-class restaurants, shopping and plentiful green spaces.”
To meet London’s ever-growing demand, 2018 has seen the launch of a number of new attractions designed to entice more off-peak visitors (something particularly relevant to Chinese travellers, who have different holiday times to other key markets), showcase the depth of the city’s culture and spread tourists to less-visited areas of the capital.
Culture capital
The Southbank’s Hayward Gallery has reopened following a three- year refurbishment, while the Royal Academy of Arts has launched several new spaces to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
The V&A, which holds one of the largest and most important photography collections in the world, is opening phase one of a dedicated Photography Centre this autumn. It will present a sweeping history of the art, while a digital wall will showcase cutting-edge images.
Looking ahead, Westminster Abbey has started building a new museum and galleries to display treasures from its 1,000-year history and make more of the impressive views to the nearby Houses of Parliament.
56 07.11.2018 Market Hall Fulham Tower Bridge
are open into the evenings. Also with food as its focus, Box Park Wembley – a sister to the popular Box Parks at Shoreditch and Croydon – is opening in late 2018 in the home of the UK’s most famous football stadium. The modern space will not only house multiple independent traders, but also have an arena space for live events. In restaurant news, celebrity chef Marco Pierre White has opened a contemporary Chophouse in Whitechapel, east London, while Andrew Wong has a premium Chinese restaurant in Bloomberg Arcade in The City. Italian eatery Chucs is new at Harrods’ revamped Fine Watch Room, and Neptune has debuted in Bloomsbury with a British seafood focus.
The iconic former home of the BBC at White City in West London now has a dining complex, while another landmark, Tower Bridge, has gained Prosecco House, a bar dedicated to the Italian fizz.
Hotel launches The Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly Future Foodie hotspots predictions
London & Partners and industry leaders project that international and domestic visits to London will reach 40.4 million by 2025, with China then India the fastest- growing inbound markets. Significant new interest is also predicted to come from the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, with an estimated growth rate of about 4% a year.
In addition to a government plan to improve capacity with a third runway at Heathrow, the capital has been working towards sustainable inbound growth. A 2025 Tourism Vision has been drawn up by London & Partners with input from more than 100 of the capital’s tourism associations and businesses, including Gatwick airport, Hilton, Merlin Entertainments and Airbnb.
Enhancing the capital’s food and social scene – and following from the success of culinary and tourist hotspot Borough Market – a series of new Market Halls are bringing renewed bustle to some of London’s unloved public spaces. The first to launch this spring was Market Hall Fulham in the ornate entrance to an Edwardian underground station. More centrally, Victoria’s Terminus Place is poised to gain another, while a third Market Hall opened in the autumn just off shopping destination Oxford Street. Beside produce for sale, the various sites include bars and eateries and
Among new hotel openings, Marriott has opened a Moxy at Heathrow airport, which has 414 rooms and 23 suites, offering continental breakfasts, an evening bar and a fitness centre.
Another spring addition was The Principal in Bloomsbury, a 334-room hotel in a restored 1898 building. A seafood restaurant and vintage bar are among features. The historic Belmond Cadogan will reopen this winter on prestigious Sloane Square following a multi- million pound refurbishment. Centrally, a new Indigo on Leicester Square now features a rooftop pan-Asian restaurant, while the budget Z hotel chain has added a property on Tottenham Court Road.
Most ambitious, however, is the work to turn the south wing of ceremonial Admiralty Arch between The Mall and Trafalgar Square into a 100-room five-star hotel. The property, operated by Waldorf Astoria, will offer a spa, fine dining and a ballroom from 2022.
Hotel Indigo in Leicester Square
■ Visit England is exhibiting on stand UKI200
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