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Boris Johnson today said that he won £50million in tourism trade for London by spending £2million.
The Mayor said that his campaign to promote London had brought in six per cent more tourists by this summer, with visitors spending an average of £574 each, compared with £540 the previous year.
In a speech at the Royal Opera House, Mr Johnson praised his "Only in London" campaign, which included helping to pay for adverts for Ryanair and easyJet in foreign press, though he admitted that the recession meant the £50million tally was £10million less than originally expected.
"Now is not the time to be complacent though," warned Mr Johnson.
"We are working on a strong, recognisable and iconic identity to tie together the diverse strands that make up the London brand."
The Mayor said Visit London would spend another £400,000 on UK and European campaigns by next March.
Reader views (7)
I run a sightseeing tour company based in London and can confirm it is the week pound and the recession that has boosted visitor numbers. On top of the weak pound you have hotels, resturants and attractions offering great deals meaning even more "bang for your buck". Johnson should have increased funding to Visit London rather than reducing it considering the economic climate. Bottom line is the mayor is trying to take credit for the hard work Londoner's have done.
- Mat, London, 17/11/2009 16:30
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"Nothing to do with the weak pound then?
"No, he opposes that."
He may well oppose it but the fact of the matter is that the weak pound is attracting more tourists to London. So to come up with the suggestion that a £2million campaign has generated £50million of tourism is ridiculous. He could have saved the £2million and got the same result.
- Dc, London, 17/11/2009 12:06
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Very, very clever. It was obvious that the massively weakened pound would boost tourism, so launch a low-cost advertising campaign and claim a massive return on your investment.
I've got colleagues in France and the Netherlands who're planning Christmas shopping trips here to stock up on 'cheap' iPods and clothes. Strangely they all mention the low prices, and none of them mention advertising. When I fly through Schipol, I see adverts for Birmingham and Yorkshire... and nothing for London.
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall, 17/11/2009 12:01
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"Nothing to do with the weak pound then?
No, he opposes that, it's all Gordon Brown's fault for printing money and borrowing too much, despite being just what London's businesses needed. Something else to remember, he originally slashed spending on Visit London by £1.5m as part of his ill-judged 'efficiency' cuts, and had to be talked into partially reversing them, but still investing less. He also closed the London Unlimited organisatio and lost the services of the highly respected marketer James Bidwell. All of this backsliding led to a sharp rebuke from the London First business organisation in February this year, telling him basically to pull his finger out and take advantage of the weak pound by launching a big marketing push. It's a shame he'd already damaged the organisation that could have done that, really, rather than yet again using public money and his own position to subsidise the airline industry.
This just shows how much of an idiot and PR opportunist he is, trying to present a slightly smaller cut as a rise and that it's all his doing. What's sad is that people will still fall for it, as he and his expensive spin team intend them to.
- Tom, London, UK, 17/11/2009 10:57
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Can we see the evaluation report so we can judge for ourselves whether our money has been wisely spent?
Might the small increase in numbers, and slight increase in spend, be down to the exchange rate?
- David, London, 17/11/2009 10:54
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Absolutely fantastic news. Brand Boris has taken over the world and everyone wants to visit London which has become the talk of the globe after Boris became Mayor. He is such a wonderful, kind and handsome man. Long may he rule this city.
- Kimberley, London, 17/11/2009 10:26
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Nothing to do with the weak pound then?
- Ade, London, 17/11/2009 10:17
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