The Olympic Games' Essay On Tourism Impact.

Opportunities and Threats for London

Question:

Describe about the Impact of Olympic Games on tourism?

London knew that the upcoming Olympic Games are going to be a bonanza and hence, they want to be prepared for the best, which was yet to come. The events had plenty of things to offer to London and at the same time, there were few disadvantages as well. The Government officials of London tried their level best to overcome the barriers and threats.  

Every country wants to attract more tourists so that they can generate more and more revenue from tourism. Olympic Games in London attracted more people to the country so that they can view the games that are being conducted. During this time period, the government of London witnessed various opportunities and threats. The government of London tried to identify these opportunities and threats so that the opportunities can be utilized for the betterment of the country and the threats can be avoided to the extent possible.

One of the most crucial things that were pointed out by the government of London was the lack of visit by the tourists before and after the event was conducted. Before the event, the city was completely under construction so that the city can look good during the event. After the event, people were concerned about the price as they very well know that the tourism prices in London have increased due to the event that took place in 2012. To overcome this barrier, the government started with campaigns like Visit London and Visit Britain so that the number of tourists can be increased (Wells 2012).

Before the event, it was seen that the London government had lost £141 million revenue and hence, the officials had to come up with some idea so that the displacement can be balanced at least to some extent. The Diamond Jubilee of the games and “limited edition” events attracted more tourists to the event. Both the events were planned by the government of London so that they can neutralize the negative impact that was created.

It was seen that the number of people who visited malls and theatres during this time period had reduced drastically. The government of London believed that after the Olympics game, the tourists will visit theatres and malls to keep themselves engaged but things didn’t happen that way. Most of the visitors decided to stay back at the Olympics ground rather than that of going somewhere to entertain themselves. In the future, the government of London wants all the sectors to work together in the limited edition event so that the impact on the loss can be reduced to a great extent (The Huffington Post 2013).

Apart from the threats, London received some benefits as well from the event. Few of the opportunities that helped London to increase the number of tourists are discussed below.

Journalists from different countries wanted to be a part of this event and hence, it was seen that 8700 journalists from 102 countries registered themselves with the London Media Centre so that they can cover the best possible image of the event. Apart from covering the event, they also covered the food, fashion, culture, design and much more details about London and hence, this excited other audience as well to visit London. The best possible image of London was created and this added to the tourism of the country, in the upcoming years. The city was expecting more tourists but they were confused if they will be able to accommodate all of them.   

Challenges Faced by the London Government

To increase the number of tourists further, the officials in the city wanted to convert all the viewers as visitors. This plan was implemented immediately after the games so that people who were a part of Olympics can be motivated to visit London for tourism. The officials had set aside a budget for the post-games marketing and hence, this helped the government to attract more people.

Practical information to all the tourists helped the tourists to reach the place where they had to and this created a very much positive impact on the visitors. This was one of the most successful events and hence, attracting tourists after the event wasn’t a difficult task for the government. This also helped the city as the tourists were able to spend more money. If the tourists had to put in time in reaching a mall then they would have invested less time in shopping and hence, this also boosted the economy of the country (Visit Britain 2012).

 There are various advantages of organizing an international event and hence, London had spent millions of pounds to make the event big. Few of the positive impact of Olympic Games on the tourism of London are discussed below.

The number of tourists in the country increased drastically as London used this as an opportunity to advertise the city. The media journalists covered more than the event and hence, the tourists got a glimpse of food, culture, fashion and design of the city. People from different corners of the world got to know about London and hence, they planned to rush to London after the event.

London made huge investment in the infrastructure so that the visitors can be impressed with the infrastructure of the nation. The road ways was improved further so that the visitors can reach the place properly.

Olympic Games gave employment opportunity to plenty of people in the country. More than 46,000 people were hired by the city so that the preparations can be well taken care of. The unemployment in the nation can be reduced to the large extent.

Lot of marketing was undertaken so that the Olympic Games can be publicized. This helped lot of people to be a part of the event. Apart from publicizing the event, London was also advertised and hence, potential tourists also developed interest about the location (Clack 2012).

London has gained lot of economic benefits from the event. Few of the economic benefits of the country are discussed below.

Great Britain lasted for 60 years and hence, the nation was suffering from economical losses but the complete scenario changed when the Olympics came into picture. The country estimated a GBP of 16.5 billion by the end of 2017. The country also got plenty of business contracts, additional sales and also a lot of foreign investment was attracted by the country.

London Olympics was a huge success and hence, the countries which will be hosting the event in the future will seek from the London Government so that the event in their country can also be successful. This will help London Government to make some more money. In the early 2012, it was seen that 1.2% of the unemployment rates in London had reduced and hence, the economy of the nation was improvised. The government of London had started with various training so that the skills of the unemployed and the semi-skilled employees can improve. This helped them to gain permanent employment even after the event (Olympic 2012).

Social impact of Olympic Games was positive on the country. Few of the social impact of Olympic Games on London are discussed below.

This helped the London Government to understand the culture of people in other countries so that they can reach out to the potential tourists in different countries. They were able to understand the customs of different cultures and this improved the friendship of UK with that of the other countries.

The self esteem of London has increased among the other countries because of the success of the event. Even in the near future, other countries will trust London for organizing the event. Plenty of people were a part of Olympic Games and hence, London was able to understand and respect different cultures. This helped London to improve their relationship with other countries.

Environmental impact of Olympic Games was in plenty and hence, this helped the nation to be better. Few of the notable environmental impact of the Olympic Games in London are discussed below.

All the local people in London were trained to be environmental friendly so that they can reduce the impact on the environment. As a part of the preparation for Olympic Games, all the local businesses were well taken care. If the Government of London felt that any business is affected due to the Olympic event then the owners of the business were included in the London Olympics preparation so that they can also make some profit.

The tour operators were given strict instructions to be environmental friendly. All the guests were accommodated in ecological hotels and hence, the hotels and restaurants were motivated to be environmentally friendly so that they can be a part of the event. This helped the ecology of the country to improve (Mirbabayev n.d.).

Conclusion

Olympic Games have contributed to the betterment of London. The Government officials of the nation were very clear that the whole world will be seeing Olympic Games and hence, they will be forming a perception of the country. All the activities associated with Olympic Games were well planned so that more and more people can be part of the show and at the same time, the officials also used this as an opportunity to increase the tourism in the nation.

References

Wells, A, 2012, London 2012 Olympics: what is London's tourism legacy?, The telegraph, Viewed on February 10, 2015, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/3588/london-2012-olympics-what-is-londons-tourism-legacy.html

The Huffington Post, 2013, Olympics Legacy Boosts British Tourism, Viewed on February 10, 2015, https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/alison-couper/olympics-legacy-boosts-br_b_3669133.html

Visit Britain, 2012, Tourism 2012 Legacy, Viewed on February 10, 2015, https://www.visitbritain.org/tourism_2012_legacy/

Clack, D, 2012, London’s Olympic legacy: Are the Games good for tourism? Viewed on February 10, 2015, https://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/londons-olympic-legacy-364572

Olympic, 2012, London 2012 to provide long-lasting economic benefits, Viewed on February 10, 2015, https://www.olympic.org/news/london-2012-to-provide-long-lasting-economic-benefits/207219

Mirbabayev, B, The economic and social impact of tourism, Accessed on February 10, 2015, https://www.grips.ac.jp/alumni/UzbekistanTourism(2).pdf