Americans to dominate London tourism over Olympics

June 01, 2012

LONDON, June 1 — Americans are the keenest country to attend the Olympic Games, according to new travel data.

The US is set to be the top source country into Britain during the period of the Games (July 23 to August 12), analysts at passenger intelligence service ForwardKeys predicted this week, noting that as of May, they represented nearly 20 per cent of total expected arrivals.

A workman passes by the Olympic Stadium built for the London 2012 Olympic Games in east London. — AFP picAmerican visitors will account for more travellers than the next three top source markets (Germany, Australia and Italy) combined, with growth on last year’s visits up by 12 per cent.

Overall arrivals to London during the Olympic period were up by 13 per cent as of May 12, ForwardKeys said.

Interestingly, the country with the most spectacular spike in interest is the Netherlands, where bookings are up 221 per cent on the same period in 2011.

Brazil is seeing the second greatest change, with bookings up 83 per cent, France third, up 35 per cent, and Russia fourth, up 34 per cent — overall, the BRICS nations are expected to record a 40 per cent gain in arrival figures.

For visitors wanting to avoid the airport queues, it’s advisable to stay away in the period immediately before the event opens, ForwardKeys said, with the day before the opening ceremony showing a 72 per cent increase on the previous year.

Top 10 visiting countries to London during the Olympic Games

1. United States

2. Germany

3. Australia

4. Italy

5. Canada

6. Russia

7. France

8. The Netherlands

9. United Kingdom

10. Brazil. — AFP-Relaxnews