Olympics minster Tessa Jowell promised the London 2012 Games would be an event “in which the whole of the UK can be involved – games that will capture everyone’s imagination and from which everyone in the UK can benefit”.
But not, it seems, if you’re a travel agent trying to use the spectacle to help market trips to London and beyond.
This week the Met Police said it was working with Olympic organisers to clamp down on firms – including agents – using the Olympics name, logo or imagery.
You might think the police had better things to do, like catching real criminals. You might also be aghast that public money is, in effect, being spent to exclude small businesses from making money from arguably the biggest sporting event Britain has ever hosted.
This heavy-handed tactic is shackling smaller agents and operators that are simply trying to keep their heads above water in tough times.
Of course, the games’ big corporate sponsors need to be protected. But there’s a big difference between people posing as official partners and those who just want to make the most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spice up their marketing and give their businesses a much-needed boost.
VisitBritain has come up with some ideas for how companies can ride the Olympic wave without falling foul of the law.
But with a couple of agencies having already received a stern warning, and the Met clearly meaning business, it looks as though the police are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
- Has the clampdown scuppered your Olympic hopes? Get talking on travelhub