London visits may 'fall further'

The bombings did not affect visits by overseas visitors

The number of British people visiting London may continue to fall this year, according to analysts.

Nearly a third of Britons were put off visiting or travelling in London after the bomb attacks in July last year.

Visit London said lower consumer spending and cheap flights would contribute to falling domestic tourism.

Based on current trends, it forecast domestic visits to the city could fall by 2.1% to 11.75 million with spending falling by 1.9% to £2.6bn.

In general, prospects for 2006 are positive Jamie Talmage, Visit London

However Visit London said visits by overseas visitors had not been affected by the attacks.

It expects the strongest growth in 2006 to come from Eastern Europe and Asia, taking the number of foreign visits to a record 14.9 million.

Spending by all visitors to London was also expected to rise 2.7% compared to last year to £9.8bn.

International support

Visit London business analyst Jamie Talmage said: "In general, prospects for 2006 are positive.

"However, there does seem to be a divide between buoyant prospects for the overseas market and challenging indicators for the domestic market."

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "It is encouraging to see the international support for London and the growth in visitors from Eastern Europe.

"Our successful Olympic bid also gives us an opportunity to promote the city as the most globally inclusive capital in the world."