Olympics may boost tourism by £2bn

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And as much as £1.27bn of the extra revenue could come after 2012, with a big influx of visitors expected from countries such as India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico.

But the increased money will only come if there is good planning for the Olympics and investment in infrastructure, the report from forecasting company Oxford Economics said.

Prepared for the VisitBritain and Visit London organisations, the report said that the Olympics were likely to generate tourism gains of £2.09bn for the period 2007-17, including £1.47bn for London.

The immediate post-Olympic period (2013-17) was likely to be worth £1.27bn for the UK, with about £400m of this benefiting areas outside London.

VisitBritain said that surveys conducted in May 2006 and May 2007 showed that 22% of people worldwide said they were more likely to visit the UK because of the Olympics. But for certain countries this percentage figure was much higher - India (44%), China (39%), Mexico (53%), Malaysia (43%), and Indonesia (49%).

The publication of the Oxford report comes before Monday's launch by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of a tourism strategy for the 2012 Games and beyond.

The strategy will include a push for better quality hotels and holiday accommodation and greater take up of the national star-grading scheme.

Currently just 53% of accommodation in the UK is in the star scheme and only 34% of London establishments have any kind of quality mark.

Tourism Minister Margaret Hodge said: "From the Brighton Grand to the Lowry in Manchester, the UK has some of the best hotels in the world. But only half carry a star grading. If the tourist industry is going to reap the potential £2.1 billion from London hosting the 2012 games, 85% of hotels must be accredited by 2012."