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Operators say London riots won’t impact tourists…
Rioting in London will not impact tourism provided the disturbances stay in the suburbs.
This is the opinion of The European Tour Operators Association put out in a statement yesterday.
ETOA executive director Tom Jenkins believes the troubles will have little impact on visitor numbers for next year's Olympics in the capital.
"The Olympics is, overwhelmingly, a domestic event," he said.
"British people won’t be put off from visiting the Olympics in Stratford because a year earlier shop windows were broken in Hackney.
“Events like these have occurred in Western cities such as LA, Madrid and Paris. Those in the UK are abnormal, and so newsworthy, even this August.
"But they have been largely confined to secondary shopping centres in the suburbs. No iconic landmarks have been affected. So long as the damage is contained outside of central London, then there will be little long-term impact on demand for London as a tourist destination."
ETOA said its members handle tens of thousands of visitors to London and so far none have been caught up in the current problems.
"What is most striking about these events is the restraint displayed by the British police. The care shown for human life over that of property is deeply impressive: a positive image of a nation’s institutional ability to cope with adversity.”
* Do you agree with ETOA's statement? Do you think the recent unrest will have an impact on tourism?
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Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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