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London set for 90% rise in Indian visitors
The number of visitors arriving in London from India is projected to reach 0.52 million a year by 2025, up from 0.27 million in 2016.
Tourism numbers in London are projected to rise sharply by 2025, boosted by a 90% increase in the number of Indian visitors despite Brexit expected in 2019, according to mayor Sadiq Khan’s Tourism Vision for London released on Thursday.
The number of visitors arriving in London from India is projected to reach 0.52 million a year by 2025 (up from 0.27 million in 2016), according to data released on the occasion. The fastest growing markets for visitors to London are China (103%) and India (90%).
The amount of money Indian visitors spend during a trip to London is also set to rise sharply from £258 million to £721 million by 2025 – an increase of 180%, it added. Culture, the arts, history and heritage are the main reasons visitors come to London for.
“London is the world’s greatest city, so it comes as no surprise that we lead the way when it comes to international tourism,” Khan said, adding, “Visitors to the capital bring huge benefits - the industry boosts London’s economy, as well as supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and showing the world that London is an open, welcoming and diverse city.”
“By inspiring visitors to come to our great city during quieter periods like autumn and to find hidden gems off the beaten track, we can ensure that the projected growth in visitor numbers is sustainable and that the tourism and cultural industries work for everyone”.
It was also announced on the occasion that according to Google, London leads worldwide searches for city and short breaks ahead of Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Amsterdam, with the overall number of searches up by 17% year on year.
