CAN LONDON COPE WITH THE OLYMPICS?
Crowds of visitors for the Diamond Jubilee kick off a busy summer in the capital
Thousands of visitors flocked to London last weekend to celebrate the Queen’s 60 year reign, with over a million people lining the River Thames to watch the Royal pageant, and major attractions reporting record numbers of visitors over the four day break – despite the weather!
Over 4 million tourists headed to the Capital for an overnight stay during the course of the weekend which was seen by many as a ‘trial run’ for the Olympics. An expected increase of 5.3 million visitors are set to visit Britain during July and August this year, compared to the same period last year, with hotels in London reporting the biggest increase in occupancy rates between 4-8 August.
Whilst there are still question marks over whether London’s transport network will hold up, it seems that the city’s hotel and accommodation industry is coping somewhat better. Despite initial concerns over a lack of accommodation during the Olympics, it appears that there is still a good supply of hotel rooms on offer. More than 8,000 hotel rooms were released by LOCOG, the Olympic organisers, in January, and a further 12,000 are expected to follow. Hotel rates have been falling since the start of the year and there are still some good deals to be had.
For those looking to save money on the cost of accommodation, home rentals are emerging as a cost effective and fun alternative to hotels, and especially suit families or groups of friends. Claire Whisker, Director of ViveUnique, the specialist home rental company, says ‘We are seeing a lot of families turning to home rentals to keep the costs of their trip down. They are already spending large sums on the Olympics and other tourist attractions and see home rentals as a way of spreading the cost of accommodation over a larger number of heads. It’s fun too...guests enjoy a more authentic and ‘local’ experience and get to stay together under one roof’.
Tourists will need to keep ahead of the game to avoid queues and travel problems during this busy time of year. Claire has some good advice for visitors to London and guests staying with ViveUnique are provided with Olympics survival packs, to help them on their way.
‘If you’re coming to London during the summer I would recommend booking your favourite restaurants well in advance, buying a daily or weekly Oyster card when you arrive, and always carrying an umbrella just in case!’, suggests Claire.
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ViveUnique offers an affordable hotel alternative where guests can enjoy a unique living experience, staying in city homes, with hotel-style services.
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