Travel to London is expected to be 31 percent higher this year over 2011, with travelers from the U.S. and Germany representing the highest number of in-bound visitors to date, Amadeus reports in a new research report.
Amadeus and Forward Data SL unveiled a range of travel data trends, based on actual global air reservations, which detail the impact of the London 2012 Olympics.
"With approximately 150 days to go before the Games, the findings reveal that travel volumes into London will significantly increase during the Games-time period. Importantly, the research demonstrates the global impact of the Games as other European cities, connected to London via high-speed rail, see increased traffic, while long-haul routes experience heightened volumes,"Amadeus says.
Key findings from the Amadeus research include:
· In-bound traffic boosts travel to London during Games-time.
Analysis of all in-bound air travel reservations for London reveals a massive spike in arrivals (143 percent increase compared to the same day 2011) on July 26, the day before the opening of the Games. When the period of analysis is broadened to include the four days before the event, scheduled future arrivals show an overall increase of 31 percent when compared to the previous year.
· U.S. and German travelers show an early appetite for the Games.
Travelers from U.S. airports have taken the lead in early bookings with analysis showing a 82 percent surge in bookings to London as early as August 2011 when compared to the same period last year. Currently, travelers originating in the U.S. represent 17 percent of scheduled arrivals, but German travelers are in hot pursuit, representing 11 percent of scheduled arrivals during the period of analysis. When considered in relative terms, Estonia is recording the largest increase in visitors to London with a fourteen-fold increase in arrivals during the Games.
· Long-haul routes in Latin America and the Caribbean increase volumes.
In addition, the traditionally successful Olympic nations of Jamaica (four-fold increase) and Brazil (three-fold increase) show the largest relative growth in scheduled arrivals for long-haul travel.
· European high-speed cities benefit from the Games.
Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris are all linked to London by high-speed rail, and all three cities have registered surges in arrivals during the period of the Games.
Londoners show appetite to stay in the city. Analysis of scheduled departures from all London airports shows that Londoners are 11 percent more likely to stay in the city during the Olympics period than they did in 2011. This finding suggests that contrary to popular opinion, Londoners are not flocking en mass to rent out their homes and travel abroad. Instead, it seems that the vast majority of Londoners are keen to play an active role in the event, Amadeus says.
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