Tourism Indochina: World Tourism News: Olympics: Ghost town London searches for missing tourists

Olympics: Ghost town London searches for missing tourists

LONDON: With its half-empty restaurants and calm streets central London looks more like a ghost town than an Olympic city, and recession-hit traders are still waiting for the promised gold rush of tourists.

Sales are down across the normally crowded British capital after warnings of travel chaos and overpriced hotel rooms apparently scared off many visitors, while those who did come are staying around the Olympic Park in east London.

"Compared to last year people are just not coming," said Michelle Wade, who runs Maison Bertaux in the trendy Soho area, which claims to be London's oldest patisserie.

"It's not just for this kind of business, it's the pubs, even my friend -- he's a very well know hairdresser, but last Saturday he only had two clients. Normally it's about 24."

Halfway through the Games the mood is unusually calm in Soho, a usually busy area in the centre of the capital, several kilometres (miles) from Stratford, where the Olympic Park is located.

In an empty men's clothes store, manager Rob Grogan said there had been a 30 per cent drop in customers in the week after the Olympics started on July 27, compared to the week before that.

"We were told by Transport for London, the local council and Westminster council that we'd probably see a shop increase in footfall and traffic and the resulting increase in sales as well -- that hasn't happened," he said.

He said warnings earlier in the year to avoid central London had "scared a lot of people away from London".

In the run-up to the Olympics, commuters and tourists alike were warned to stay away, amid fears the creaking transport system could not cope with millions of athletes, support staff, media and spectators descending on the capital.

The Games have long been heralded as a key boost to the recession-hit British economy but industry body the European Tour Operators Association said tourist numbers had fallen "dramatically" since the Games began.

And the transport chaos has failed to materialise. Prime Minister David Cameron even appealed to people recently to come back into the deserted capital.

"It is rubbish, we don't want this nonsense any more," said a woman who runs several souvenir shops and stalls on Oxford Street, what is normally Europe's busiest shopping thoroughfare.

Gesturing at an empty store, the woman, who asked not to be named, added: "The tourists should be here, we rely on them, but now they are not interested. They are not spending, they don't have a penny, this is the wrong crowd."

Outside a McDonald's restaurant on Oxford Street three young tourists who came from Amsterdam to watch the qualifying rounds for the Olympic tennis and hockey were eating hamburgers.

They said they were staying at a campsite and were spending no money in central London.

"It is not why we came here, not at all," said Marianne, 27, one of the tourists.

Swedish visitors Ann and Soren Forsberg said they had come to London at the last minute to see the equestrian events and the triathlon after getting a special deal for airline tickets.

"We thought it would be sold out to come here but obviously a lot of people didn't come here at all, and hotels aren't a problem either," Ann Forsberg said.

"We haven't been in the shops, we are not here to shop this time."

But in a leafy square in the middle of Soho, two Swiss students said they were enjoying the quiet compared to the frenzied activity around the Olympic Park itself.

"We were in Stratford for the evening yesterday and it was terrible compared with central London, where it is quite cool, it is less crowded," said Lea, 19, one of the students.

Source: AFP/ck/5August2012

Cambodia tours=> http://www.tourismindochina.com/cambodia/tours/
Vietnam tours=> http://www.tourismindochina.com/vietnam/tours/
Laos tours=> http://www.tourismindochina.com/laos/tours/
More about Cambodia Rice Exporter, please visit: http://www.cambodiaorganic.com/

Read more...

Tourism Indochina: West Meets East for 2008 Olympics

The Olympic Games are a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate. The Games are currently held every four years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating, although they occur every four years within their respective seasonal games. Since 2008, host cities are contracted to manage both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games, where athletes who have a physical disability compete. The Paralympics are held immediately following their respective Olympic Games. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC has since become the governing body of the Olympic Movement, whose structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter.

The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Games for ice and winter sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with a physical disability, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes. The IOC has had to adapt to the varying economic, political, and technological realities of the 20th century. As a result, the Olympics shifted away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to allow participation of professional athletes. The growing importance of the mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship and commercialization of the Games. World Wars led to the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Games. Large boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games.

The Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and organizing committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Olympic Games. The host city is responsible for organizing and funding a celebration of the Games consistent with the Olympic Charter. The Olympic program, consisting of the sports to be contested at the Games, is also determined by the IOC. The celebration of the Games encompasses many rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. There are over 13,000 athletes that compete at the Summer and Winter Olympics in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second, and third place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals; gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

The Games have grown in scale to the point that nearly every nation is represented. Such growth has created numerous challenges, including boycotts, doping, bribery of officials, and terrorism. Every two years, the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national, and in particular cases, international fame. The Games also constitute a major opportunity for the host city and country to showcase themselves to the world.

Tourism Indochina: West Meets East for 2008 Olympics

(Tourism Indochina:Date : 2008-07-31):

Newswise — The 2008 Olympics present both opportunity and challenge for hosting nation China, namely in the area of tourism, says Brent Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.


“China, like much of East Asia, remains very foreign to most Westerners, especially from the United States,” he says. “Visitors to its larger cities, such as Beijing, are usually impressed by what they’d not expected to see.”


Those unexpected sights, Smith says, include modern-designed office towers, high-rise apartment buildings, and fashionably dressed young people. “Similar in ways to Rome, Beijing offers a nice mix of the oldest and newest,” he added.


The question remains, however, whether Beijing will draw the number of tourists that prior Olympic host cities have drawn or will concerns about air quality pose a problem.


“Officials have addressed the air pollution issue by ordering a halt to construction and trying to reduce auto traffic. In addition, athletes, especially outdoor athletes, will be provided with masks.” According to Smith, China knows it has to make a good first impression in other areas also.


“They’ve addressed the stereotypically poor service issue by educating businesses on how to greet and interact with tourists, even publishing guidelines on Western culture, such as personal space preferences and ‘don’t ask topics,’” he said.


Cambodia tours=> http://www.tourismindochina.com/cambodia/tours/
Vietnam tours=> http://www.tourismindochina.com/vietnam/tours/
Laos tours=> http://www.tourismindochina.com/laos/tours/
More about Cambodia Rice Exporter, please visit: http://www.cambodiaorganic.com/

Read more...