Longer-term the huge media coverage of the 2012 Games is expected to bring many new visitors to Britain in the months and years after the Games. This means that even though NewcastleGateshead may be some distance from London you are still able to benefit from the wider ‘Games-effect’
With such a short time until the UK hosts the biggest event in the world, isn’t it time that you found out how your business can truly benefit from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games?
Previous Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major sporting events have shown that tourism can benefit substantially from the increased publicity of the host country.
Barcelona is a great example, showing the world that it was a vibrant, cosmopolitan city during the 1992 Games. Similarly Germany demonstrated how to truly welcome visitors during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, challenging the stereotypical perceptions of its people.
Shortly after London was awarded the 2012 Games, VisitBritain and Visit London commissioned an extensive study into the potential impact of the Games on tourism in the UK. The results were very positive. During the period 2007 to 2017, the Games are forecast to generate over £2 billion in tourism gains for the whole of the UK, with 54% of this coming after the Games have finished.
Nearly half of all the tickets available for the 2012 Games will be for events taking place in Weymouth and Portland, Eton Dorney, Hadleigh Farm, Broxbourne and at football stadia in Coventry, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and NewcastleGateshead. In addition there are the athletes’ Training Camps and Test Events and the Live Sites, not to mention the Torch Relay and the Cultural Olympiad before the Games begin.
Longer-term the huge media coverage of the 2012 Games is expected to bring many new visitors to Britain in the months and years after the Games. This means that even though NewcastleGateshead may be some distance from London you are still able to benefit from the wider ‘Games-effect’. In fact two-thirds of the total tourism boom created by the 2012 Games will take place in the four years afterwards due to the increased awareness of our country as a tourist destination. Much of this economic benefit will be outside of London.
Find out more about the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Newcastle and the North East
There are several key steps that businesses can take in order to make the most of the Games.
NewcastleGateshead Initiative will be undertaking a programme of marketing and communications activity to help ensure our region benefits positively from the ‘Games-effect’.
NewcastleGateshead has been confirmed as one of the prized locations of the Olympic Torch Relay in June next year as it embarks on its epic journey around the UK ahead of the London 2012 Games. Find out the route and how you can apply to carry the Flame.
Throughout 2012 there will be a host of events and festivals, art projects and activities linked to the Cultural Olympiad and centred in and around NewcastleGateshead.
