With 50 days to go to the London Olympics, travel to London is set to be 13 percent higher than the same period in 2011, according to new analysis released by Amadeus.
According to the study, the United States is the single biggest source nation for traffic to the Olympics, accounting for 19 percent of total expected arrivals. Germany is the second largest source market, responsible for 8 percent of total expected arrivals and BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are emerging as important source nations.
Other findings include: Europe is the source region for the greatest proportion of arrivals to London during the period of the Games, accounting for 46 percent of total expected arrivals, and North America is second with a 23 percent share. Asia is the third biggest source region with 9 percent of arrivals, a significant increase of 27 percent on 2011 bookings.
New York City is seeing a dramatic 48 percent increase in bookings to London for this period compared with 2011; San Francisco is also seeing remarkable growth, up 29 percent from 2011, Amadeus reports.
From the Opening Ceremony onwards, throughout the duration of the Olympic Games, London will experience a high level of occupancy (i.e. number of visitors staying in London), with numbers 7 percent higher than last year for the period between the Opening and Closing ceremonies. The greatest increase in occupancy compared with 2011 is between August 4 and 8, 2012, Amadeus reports.
Londoners intend to remain in the city and enjoy the spectacle during the Olympics period: departures to any destination from London for the period before the Opening Ceremony are 5 percent below 2011 levels. Across the whole summer (from July 2 to September 2, 2012), 2 percent fewer Londoners will leave the city than in 2011. However, Amadeus says it seems that Londoners aren’t forgoing a holiday altogether, simply deferring it, as three weeks after the Closing Ceremony, departures will increase to 10 percent more than in the same period in 2011.
“This data highlights the significant opportunity for travel providers and businesses in London over the Olympics period, particularly during the dates when occupancy will surge compared with last year, that is, between August 4 and 8, 2012. Businesses, especially those within the leisure and retail sectors, will have big opportunities by catering to the needs of travelers from all over the world this summer. The data also indicates another period that will be of crucial importance to UK-based travel sellers: the weeks after the Closing Ceremony, when many Londoners will depart from the city,” said Holger Taubmann, senior vice president distribution for Amadeus.
“Market intelligence like this is essential to travel sellers and travel providers as they assess not only how and when travelers make their decisions, but also the probable impact of major events on their businesses, and allows them to capitalize on the opportunity such an event offers. This data represents actual bookings made, so travel providers can base their business decisions upon it with confidence,” said Olivier Jager, CEO of Forward Data.
The forecast was provided by ForwardKeys.com, a business intelligence tool launched by Forward Data in partnership with Amadeus.
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