Yogi Bera was onto something when he said, “It’s so popular, nobody goes there anymore.” He could have been talking about the Olympic effect.
Forewarned is forearmed and VisitBritain is tackling the Olmpic Effect London will inevitably face leading up to 2012 with a strong offence and some lessons learned from Vancouver 2010.
At Britain Marketplace in YTO last week, the Visit Britain team brought leading Canadian agents and operators together to share their strategies for countering the “too expensive”, “too crowded”, “too inaccessible” concerns that historically depress travel to the host country prior to, during and after the Olympics.
Vancouver successfully demonstrated that the Olympic spirit is for everybody and Britain will be building their own buzz around a similar inclusive message with their tag line, “You are going to want to be here!”
Specifically, Britain is committed to keeping the welcome mat out and pricing reasonable. A ‘no gouging’ policy will be in effect for “fair pricing and practices” in 2012 with over 350 hospitality suppliers having signed a FAIR PRICE & PRACTICE CHARTER guaranteeing that pricing offered during the period 01JUN thru 30SSEP 2012 will be fair and reasonable. The Charter is a partnership between London, VisitBritain and the U.K. tourism industry for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
To complement the games, Britain is also launching a 2012 Cultural Olympiad, a four-year celebration showcasing British arts and culture. The folks at Visit Britain are committed to ensuring that more than ever in 2012, London will be everyone’s city and Britain will be everyone’s country.
