London remains a top tourist destination and open to the world following the EU referendum vote, according to new research, with two thirds of US visitors pledging to return to the capital. Analysis carried out by London & Partners, the Mayor of London's promotional company, shows that London's booming tourism trade is set to continue post-Brexit, as two thirds of Americans who visited in the last two years said they will definitely return due to a more favourable exchange rate.
Meanwhile, 90 per cent of visitors to London from the US agree the capital's cultural experiences are the best of any city in the world, with the capital's iconic museums, galleries, attractions and West-End musicals key reasons for visiting.
Some 7.9 million American tourists have been drawn to the capital since 2012, the year the city hosted the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Separate research released today confirms that London is open as a leading international destination with London's top museums and galleries reporting an 11 per cent increase in visits from the US since 2012.
London received 31.5 million visits from all over the world in 2015 including 12.9 million tourists from Great Britain. Research from London & Partners shows that 80 per cent of British visitors who have travelled to the capital in the last two years, agree that London is the best city in the world for culture.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will tonight unveil an exciting programme of cultural exhibitions and events at the official launch of London's Autumn Season at the Science Museum. Supported by the Government's GREAT campaign, highlights over the coming months will include William Kentridge: Thick Time at the Whitechapel Gallery, London Fashion Weekend at the Saatchi Gallery, Twilight Tours at the Tower of London, Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery at the Science Museum, Michael Clarke Company at the Barbican and The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection at the New Tate Modern.
Other Autumn Season highlights include Fire! Fire! at the Museum of London, You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-70 at the V&A, Picasso Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, Real to Reel: A Century of War Movies at the Imperial War Museum, Paul Nash at Tate Britain, South Africa: The Art of a Nation at the British Museum, Beyond Caravaggio at the National Gallery, Abstract Expressionism at the Royal Academy of Art and Rodin and Dance at the Courtauld Gallery.
Sadiq Khan said: “Our city's world-class museums, galleries and exhibitions have firmly positioned London as one of the most welcoming and culturally rich cities to visit. Not only does our unique cultural scene make a substantial and vital contribution to our city's economic prosperity, but I'm delighted to see that London's creative sector plays such an important role in entertaining tourists from home and across the Atlantic
“The many millions of visitors who come here time and time again are sending out a clear signal that London is truly open to everyone, and this is the message we will continue to send around the world.”
The highly-celebrated artist Sir Quentin Blake, best known for illustrating books written by Roald Dahl, will join the Mayor at the Autumn Season launch with an illustration to capture the #LondonIsOpen campaign. Sir Quentin commented: “Every morning I go to my London balcony and breathe in thousands of words and pictures, and then I start work.”
