London's tourism bonanza after Brexit vote

Tourists are taking advantage of the pound's post Brexit drop in value to visit London's attractions

Jason Hawkes

Jonathan Prynn, Business Editor @JonPrynn|David Churchill

29 July 2016

London is enjoying a remarkable “Brexit boom” in tourism as visitors flock to the capital in record numbers to take advantage of the pound’s fall in value.

The sudden 13 per cent currency depreciation triggered by the Leave vote left sterling at its lowest level against the dollar for more than 30 years at one stage — turning the capital into a “bargain destination” for millions of travellers, according to tourism chiefs.

Hotels, airlines and attractions all reported a dramatic spike for London bookings in July, with British “staycation” visitors put off travelling abroad by the increased cost of holidays on the Continent also contributing to the surge.

Tourism Alliance chairman Bernard Donoghue said initial research by his organisation suggested there are 18 per cent more foreign visitors and 11 per cent more British tourists this July compared with the same month last year.

He said: “We know people are responding very well to the London Is Open campaign.”

Online accommodation service Airbnb said it saw a 24 per cent uplift in London visits in the month after the June 23 referendum compared with the month before, as guests from 164 countries booked to stay at homes in the capital.

Its general manager James McClure said: “Post-Brexit London is more popular and diverse than ever.”

Europe’s biggest flight booking website Opodo said travel from the Continent to London was up by 42 per cent in the four weeks after the referendum, with the biggest increases seen in travellers from Denmark, Latvia, Estonia and Norway.

Major West End stores are also cashing in, with trading at Fortnum & Mason in the past fortnight running at 20 per cent above the same period last year.

Chief executive Ewan Venters said Chinese, US and European visitors were spending more than last year in the Piccadilly store as they found their spending money is going further.

He said: “Every hour or so I’m being told by my team of another customer spending £2,000 or £3,000.”

Philip Guarino, Europe director at consultant China Luxury Advisors, said: “There has been a significant jump in demand for travel to the UK reported by leading Chinese tour operators, with some I’ve heard about completely selling all availability.”

Mr Donoghue said museums and other attractions including Westminster Abbey, the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden and the RAF Museum in Hendon, have seen “significant” increases in visitor numbers.

Forward bookings for the annual public opening of Buckingham Palace are said to be well ahead of last year and Hampton Court’s Magic Garden has also been a huge success.

Cultural attractions pulling in visitors to the West End include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre, for which 250,000 more tickets are to be released next week.

Hotels are even busier than usual, with five-star landmarks such as Claridge’s and the Connaught enjoying one of the best Julys in their history and guests increasingly upgrading from rooms to suites.

The HotelsCombined website’s UK and Ireland country manager Dmitrijus Konovalovas said: “Searches for London hotels by UK travellers have in- creased 22 per cent in the 30 days since the EU referendum result.

“In the same period we’ve seen jumps in foreign searches for stays in the city. Those from Italy are up 23 per cent, Germany 20 per cent and Spain 15 per cent.

"There was a doubling of interest from Saudi Arabia and an 18 per cent rise in searches from Hong Kong. London remains firmly on the map for both domestic and overseas travellers.”

Willie Walsh, boss of British Airways’ parent company IAG, told the Standard: “London continues to be a destination that is attractive to tourists and workers, which is good for our business.”

Demand for car rental will surge this summer, according to the leading industry body for vehicle rental and leasing.

Gerry Keaney, Chief Executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, said: “We predict a surge in demand for rentals as people take mini-breaks in the UK due to the weak pound. In a further boost, the current exchange rate will also attract overseas visitors which can be expected to increased rental demand.

“We urge holidaymakers to look out for the BVRLA logo when renting a car in the UK. Consumers who hire from a BVRLA member will have the peace of mind that the rental company offers high quality vehicles, adheres to a rigorous code of conduct and offers a dispute resolution service for further protection.”

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