It is now over a week since the UK was sieged by the riots which started in Tottenham after a peaceful protest and ended up spreading throughout the capital and to Bermingham, Machester and Leeds. How have they affected the hospitality industry in the short and more importantly long term?
During and shortly after the riots and looting the outlook for tourism and hospitality figures in the capital was far from positive. The UK’s tourism authority was forced to drop its slick 60-second marketing ‘You’re invited’ video that was put up on BBC and other websites to attract potential tourists from abroad. TravelClick recorded a 16% drop in hotel booking pace from Aug 6th – 11th. Mary Rance, CEO of UKinbound, a trade association for the UK’s inbound tourism businesses was quoted as saying, “The riots of the past few days, particularly in London, are most unfortunate for the global image of the UK – and not just ahead of the Olympics but for the country’s short term and long term inbound tourism industry.”
The effect on the Olympics and the knock on business for the hospitality industry was high amongst most commentators fears. Prime Minister David Cameron urged positivity, “A year away from the Olympics, we need to show them the Britain that doesn’t destroy but builds, that doesn’t give up but stands up, that doesn’t look back, but always forwards,” he said. Other views were that, “The Olympics is, overwhelmingly, a domestic event,” added European Tour Operators Association executive director, Tom Jenkins. Ciarán Fahy, managing director of the Cavendish in central London, said: “It’s important to note that all the Olympic test events this week, including the Women’s Beach Volleyball in Horseguards, the Badminton in North London, the Marathon Swimming in Hyde Park on Saturday and the Road Cycling on Sunday are all going ahead without any disruption.”
This sentiment seems to be prevailing now over a week after the riots. Initial fears have abated and most commentators and business owners feel that the direct effects of the riots will not be felt too hard.
Many people commented that London is a very resilient city and has overcome other large scale problems such as foot and mouth disease, volcanic ash and terrorism. Also that even though the riots were wide spread they did not adversely effect popular tourist destinations and that even while they were taking place the West End and other tourist hot spots were operating business as usual. Jonathan Raggett, managing director of Red Carnation, hotels added: “Business for August and September has never been better, and we have seen no cancellations. I expect the riots will have no effect whatsoever on the Olympics, and we are confident for the rest of this year as well as 2012 and beyond.
Mark Di-Toro, spokesperson for VisitBritain, summarised that the country’s reputation as a top location for culture and heritage had been built up over many many years, and would take more than a single instance of unrest to destroy, but he admitted: “Clearly if things like this happen closer to the time on this level this will be a different conversation, but the reaction is minimal so far.”
Posted by Mise En Place Hospitality Recruitment
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