Browing Leicester Square in the center of London is to endure a boost of the senses. Its jostling tourists, the blatant lights of its casino store and M&M oversized, and a track of support for the casors in buses put it among the worst places in one of the best cities in the world.
The region also symbolizes an inevitable truth in London: without the masses of tourists, and the attractions designed to amuse them, the city could disintegrate completely.
Although most Londoners (this one included) would go in length to avoid admitting it, the capital seriously needs its millions of incomes each year. This is why a recent analysis The tourist numbers are still down compared to the pre-cook era are so alarming.
Most of the well -tried world has recovered from pandemic closures. California's tourism economy, for example, has brought 150 billion dollars In 2023, exceeding its 2019 income; Expenses in Los Angeles also took place during the same period. But the city which is called “the largest on earth” seems to lose the affections of visitors.
The Americans remain the best customers of Great Britain in visitors' numbers and the money spent, with more than a third of American tourists from California or the Grand New York region. In 2023A quarter of all the species of visitors spent in Great Britain came from the United States.
However, the light once launched by our picturesque accents, our historical buildings and our rustic pubs seems to discolor quickly. High prices and taxes are part of the problem.
British electronic travel authorization was launched in January for visitors to the United States and other countries, invoicing to the Americans around $ 12 each. (A $ 20 load would already be envisaged.) Taxes on air passengers in the United Kingdom are among the highest in the world. Tourists can no longer recover the value added tax of 20% on the purchases they make on Oxford Street or at Harrods. And the government is thinking about a hotel tax in the city similar to that of Venice.
London tube, on the other hand, is among the most expensive metro systems in the world; A ticket costs a third party than the price for a comparable trip to the Muni of San Francisco. And stay in a four -star hotel for the night you settle more That he would not do it in Los Angeles, Dubai or Tokyo.
Is it surprising that we slide in the ranking? These growing costs, combined with a dark time and an uncomponsidable effusion of rabies Anti-English messaging From Elon Musk, barely helps our cause. Visitbitan, the promoter of official tourism of the United Kingdom, recently launched a Video campaign To attract tourists with British locations used in Hollywood movies and television, but it will take more than a Zendaya clip at the top of a red bus to fill the city again.
Some natives could rejoice in the (slightly) less congested alleys; Each Londonian secretly believes the privilege of tourists to visit Weafter all. But ignoring what they bring to the city is stupid. The London buzz is partially fed by the holidays which whistled under an outpost to the next; Our constant effusion of new events and offers of food and drink is driving because we know that the world is watching and we have the reputation of maintaining.
London has 85 Michelin star restaurants (against 74 in New York and 24 at La); The steps of the West End filled with megastars every evening; Street carnivals; drag bingos and brunches; Pop-ups in abundance; And the queues stretching round street corners for the last viral bakery. For a nation which, on the whole, would prefer to be nestled with a cup of tea at 9 pm than from the hotfoot of a bar on the roof to the next, the reality is that a large part of what is in London is not for Londoners but rather a performative attempt to maintain our status among foreigners – and to bring them.
Without anyone to see the fruits of this work – and, above all, spend them in the style of the holidays where residents short of money will not – the capital as we know would die. Keeping appearances is the national sport of Great Britain. If not, who do we do this for ourselves?
So, so as not to be guilty of focusing on London and ignoring the rest of the United Kingdom (a stereotype of the Londoners who is quite true), it should be noted that the capital is, for most travelers, the country's entry point. It is our work to unwind in mega-concerts in football stadiums, sales samples and breathtaking museums; It is the work of the provinces to serve the castles and the historical corners, the beaches and the hills which are made of the Edwardian novels. The more London's cachet falls, the more the impact on the rest of the country.
It is quite non -British to admit to need help, especially America. But London depends on its status among American travelers – and, perhaps the most vital, on the ability to attract a new generation.
Charlotte Lytton is a journalist based in London.
