99% of tourists plan to return to London following Olympics
Almost all of the tourists who visited London during the 2012 Olympic Games want to return in the future.
That's the overwhelmingly positive picture painted by a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which found that 99% of visitors to these shores this summer would like to come back.
The majority (59%) of visitors to London had come because of the Olympic games, and just 1% of those surveyed rated their experience of public transport poor. Over half (55%) rated their experience as excellent, with a further 40% describing it as good.
Aside from the Games, tourists rated the city's heritage sites such as Buckingham Palace as their best experience, followed by the people. Museums came third, despite reports that these have been emptier than usual over the period, with the city's atmosphere fourth and its parks in fifth place.
Robert Milburn, hospitality and leisure leader at PwC, said: "The Games have clearly been a magnet for tourists but London's visitors have enjoyed much more besides and the good news is they want to come back for more. The tourists we surveyed had a huge range of favourite experiences, from nightlife to architecture, reflecting the fact that London really does have something for everyone. We need to make sure we capitalise on London's current popularity.
"London isn't exactly renowned for being a friendly city so it's surprising its people have made such a positive impression. The helpful and plentiful Olympic stewards probably explain a lot but perhaps the Games are making us Londoners happier as well."
Nearly half, 45%, of tourists surveyed, could not pinpoint anything they didn't like about London. The most frequently cited gripe was the crowds (12% of participants), followed by the weather (7%), although almost two thirds (64%) of tourists said this had been better than they had expected. Of the more tangible complaints, some tourists said there weren't enough public toilets.
By Neil Gerrard
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