Ken: Spend your holiday in London

Mayor Ken Livingstone will today appeal to Londoners to back their city and its flagging tourist trade by holidaying here instead of abroad.

London's residents can stem the crisis and sustain the vital £8 billion industry by spending one week's holiday in their own city according to the Mayor. He will try to calm fears of many residents and visitors by saying that London is not at risk of a terrorist attack.

Mr Livingstone told Heart 106.2's Love London campaign that this was "the best time in my lifetime to get out and about". In a prerecorded interview with the radio station he said: "People think you have to die of old age to get a ticket to a top show.

"But if everyone spent a week of their holiday in London instead of jetting off abroad, then we'd solve our problem." The Mayor, who has given £500,000 to help the struggling theatres, called on people not to avoid the city because of fear of a terrorist attack.

He told breakfast DJ Jono Coleman: "There is no risk. We're not expecting an immediate terrorist attack. We're very alert to it and the truth is that Londoners are much more likely to be killed crossing the road than they are by a terrorist attack."

The transatlantic tourism trade has "dried up completely" since the 11 September terrorist attacks and US visitors in particular are refusing to travel here, he said, adding: "We could see something like one Londoner in 30 losing their jobs."

Some 275,000 people are employed in London's tourism industry. Official figures show a 23 per cent fall in overseas visitors for September on the previous year. The Mayor has established a Tourism Action Group to tackle the crisis.