From New York, Sadiq will be travelling to San Francisco and Los Angeles to strengthen economic and cultural ties and drive investment between London and the United States…reports Asian Lite News
Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched the largest international tourism campaign the city has ever seen to attract global visitors back to London.
‘Lets Do London’ was launched by the Mayor this morning in New York’s iconic Times Square. The Mayor was joined by the cast of the hit British musical ‘SIX’, which has received rave reviews since transferring from the West End to Broadway last autumn. It brought all the pomp and ceremony of the royal city, halting New York traffic with a formal presentation of the Coldstream Guards , installation of the iconic red phone booths and a vintage black London cab to officially kick-off the campaign here in the States.
New Yorkers and tourists alike were dazzled by cast members of ‘SIX’ performing a hit song from their award-winning musical that is currently playing on Broadway and London’s West End.
“New York and London are global cities defined by our shared energy, innovation and constant evolution,” said Mr Khan. “I can think of nowhere better to launch this exciting campaign encouraging our American friends to discover London – particularly during our special platinum Jubilee year of celebration.
“We know that visitors to our great city often go on to explore other parts of the UK, so when London succeeds in bringing back tourists it benefits the whole country.
“Our tourism industry was hit hard by the pandemic but will be crucial to our economy bouncing back that’s why I am delighted that our capital is once again ready to welcome visitors from around the world.”
From New York, Sadiq will be travelling to San Francisco and Los Angeles to strengthen economic and cultural ties and drive investment between London and the United States.
This is the Mayor’s first major international visit since the pandemic started and represents a significant milestone of his work to promote London to tourists, business, entrepreneurs and students.
In meetings with business people, senior politicians and city leaders, discussions will cover key issues shared with London, including the post-pandemic economic recovery, improving air quality and tackling the climate crisis, the need for greater social integration and fighting crime.
Prior to the pandemic, London was the third most visited city on the planet, with a thriving tourism sector accounting for as many as one in five jobs in London and contributing almost 12 per cent of the city’s gross domestic product.
Supporting London’s inbound visitor recovery helps promote UK-wide tourism and will benefit destinations outside London as well.
The capital welcomed 3.09 million visitors from the US in the year running up to the first coronavirus lockdown. These visitors were vital to London’s tourism economy, as well as hospitality and cultural venues across the city, spending £2.45 billion in 2019 alone. All these sectors were badly impacted by the pandemic but now that all restrictions on international travel for passengers arriving in the UK have been lifted, Sadiq is determined to do all he can to entice international visitors back to the city.
The new tourist campaign will be led by London’s business growth and destination agency, London & Partners (L&P), alongside the Mayor’s ongoing domestic marketing campaign which has already brought in an additional £81 million in spending and 330,000 overnight visitors to the capital.
The new Let’s Do London campaign aims to inspire travellers to choose London for their next trip by shining a spotlight on the city’s unparalleled range of attractions, exhibitions, and events. It estimated to reach over 43 million individuals in the U.S. via several channels, including video on demand, YouTube, social media, display and out-of-home advertising.
2022 is an exceptional year for London, which will play host to once-in-a-lifetime events such as The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Jubilee and the celebrations throughout the year are a key draw for American visitors to the UK in 2022.
This year will also mark the return of internationally renowned festivals including the 50th Anniversary of Pride in London and Notting Hill Carnival, as well as the UEFA Women’s EURO championship at Wembley, the Wimbledon Championships, Adele, Elton John and the Rolling Stones performing at Hyde Park and the pioneering ABBA Voyage opening at a custom-made theatre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
There will be a summer of world class visual art for Londoners and visitors to see up close, with blockbuster art exhibitions including Picasso Ingres: Face to Face at the National Gallery, Surrealism beyond Borders at Tate Modern and Edvard Munch at The Courtauld Gallery and kicking off with the London Gallery Weekend on 13-15 May.
Stars of stage and screen including Mark Rylance, Amy Adams and Beverly Knight tread the boards of the West End’s famous theatres, and Shakespeare’s Globe plans a series of special events to celebrate its 25th Anniversary.
The Elizabeth Line, a new railway from east to west London will open this month, giving visitors a new high-speed route across the city.
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