He addressed his packed audience under a stunning 25.2 metre real blue whale skeleton named ‘Hope’. Hope takes centre stage in place of Dippy, the Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton cast which won a place in the hearts of visitors from around the world since arriving in London in 1905.
Khan emphasised that despite uncertainties around Brexit, London is open and keen to welcome visitors from all over the world.
Tourism numbers in the capital are set to rise sharply, with more than 40mn people expected to visit the city by 2025, an increase of 30% on the 31.2mn visitors who came to the capital in 2016.
London tops Google’s search rankings for global cities to fly to.
At the launch Gulf Times spoke to the deputy mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons, who extended a warm welcome to visitors from Qatar.
“We really welcome people from Qatar – a country which also has a great heritage and great museums,” she said.
Visitor numbers from across the Middle East are projected to rise by 31% by 2025.
Simons explained that it is the capital’s rich cultural offer that proves most attractive to visitors.
“Four out of five visitors to London come for culture, the arts, history and heritage,” she said.
She added: “London is the most international city in the world.
There are 300 languages spoken here in the capital.
It is vital that we retain our international links with people from all over the world.”
The Tourism Vision for London, which is backed by more than 100 industry partners and supported by the Mayor of London, projects visitor spending to grow by almost 50% to £22bn a year, up from £14.9bn (2016). The surge in visitor numbers could be bolstered in the short-term by currency fluctuations, and according to separate research from London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency, around two thirds of international visitors say they’re more likely to visit London given more favourable currency rates.
Some of the fastest growing markets for visitors to London by 2025 are China (103% growth), India (90% growth), the USA (43%) and the UAE (43%)
London’s tourism industry is worth 11.6 % of the capital’s GDP and 9% across the UK as a whole.
The sector employs 700,000 people in London – equivalent to 1 in 7 jobs.
Some of the highlights to enjoy in London this autumn include Hamilton: An American Musical: Victoria Palace Theatre, Royal Gifts exhibition: Buckingham Palace, ‘Ferrari: Under the Skin’: The Design Museum, Harry Potter: A History of Magic: The British Library, Whales – Beneath the Surface: Natural History Museum, The Network: National Theatre, Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia: British Museum and Opera: Passion, Power and Politics: Victoria and Albert Museum.
