LONDON tourist attractions suffered a 15% drop in visitors during the Olympics, it was revealed today.


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Olympic travel restrictions, the terrible weather during most of the summer and the rival attraction of the 2012 Games itself are among the reasons for the catastrophic decline.

“For London attractions, the Olympic period was one of their worst trading periods in living memory and for visitor attractions the summer is their equivalent of retailers’ Christmas: once lost, the business can’t be won back,” said Bernard Donoghue, boss of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

Outdoor sites like Kew Gardens and London Zoo were hit the hardest, with both losing over 20% of their attendance compared to 2011, while the figures for the British Museum (pictured) were down by ‘only’ 13%. Overall, there was a 15% drop in visitors to London’s main attractions.

Tourism chiefs hope that the decline in numbers in 2012 will become an investment in the future thanks to the positive image of London beamed around the world.

“We are working to turn the millions of Olympic TV viewers who loved how Britain looked into visitors who will come here in the next months and years,” said Donoghue.