Tourism chiefs have predicted a fall in the number of visitors to London following Saturday’s terrorist attack, but remain optimistic that the capital will “bounce back”.
The Tourism Industry Emergency Response (Tier) group met on Monday to discuss the fallout from the incident.
The attack has led to renewed calls by US president Donald Trump for the US to introduce a travel ban from six Muslim-majority countries. His calls came as the Metropolitan Police put security barriers on three London bridges to protect pedestrians.
Euromonitor International’s head of travel, Caroline Bremner, said the UK’s reputation as a safe destination would be hit in the short term.
According to its Travel Forecast Model, for a ‘multiple’ negative scenario, the UK could suffer a 378,000 fall in the number of tourist arrivals over the next three years. The most significant fall is predicted for this year, with a loss of 285,000 tourists, taking the total to 36.6 million.
But Laura Citron, chief executive of London & Partners, which runs VisitLondon.com, said: “At this stage, it is not possible to predict the impact on the tourism industry. But in the two months following the Westminster attack, travel agent bookings to London were up 6.7%.
“We are confident tourists will stand by the city and our values.”
Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, which operates Madame Tussauds and the London Eye, said: “What happened at London Bridge is terrible but, more than any other city, London has shown its resilience and ability to bounce back.”
Following the attack, travel companies allowed clients to cancel or amend bookings to London.
Super Break national sales manager Graham Balmforth said: “There have been calls, but we experienced only a few cancellations. The British traveller continues to be resilient.”