[CPProt.net] London calls on families to return

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

London calls on families to return 

Attendances at the Natural History Museum between the bombings and the end
of July were 24 per cent down, while visitors are down by 20 per cent at the
Science Museum. The British Museum has suffered a 10 per cent fall in
attendances.

With visitor numbers - and takings - sliding, the mayor and tourist chiefs
insist that it is safe for parents to bring their children back to the
city's centre, reports Martin Bentham 

Sunday August 7, 2005
The Observer 

Tourism chiefs have appealed to British families to return to central London
in response to evidence that parents are shunning the capital because of
fears about their children's safety. 
The appeal - backed by the the mayor, Ken Livingstone - was prompted by
reports from leading attractions that a principal reason for the slump in
visitor totals since the bombings of 7 July is the reluctance of families
living in the city to make unnecessary trips into the centre. 

Some of the capital's most popular family attractions, including London Zoo,
the London Aquarium and the Tower of London, have seen attendances drop by
as much as 30 per cent. Visitor numbers at Madame Tussauds, the Natural
History Museum and the Science Museum have also fallen sharply. 

Ken Kelling, communications director of Visit London, responded by urging
British families to help London recover from last month's terror attacks by
bringing their children into the city. 

'You can understand why people are thinking about their children, but we
would appeal to them to come because life is getting back to normal and
places are welcoming people,' he said. 

'We are getting very strong signals from the overseas market about coming to
London, so we are now looking at domestic visitors - people who are
concerned not just about safety, but about disruption and whether things are
open - and pushing strongly to reassure them.' 

Livingstone, who praised the support shown by foreign tourists, also urged
domestic visitors to overcome any anxiety and return to London: 'This is a
vibrant, cosmopolitan city, we are open as usual, and I would like to extend
my own welcome to anyone planning a visit here - overseas visitors, British
families and Londoners - and encourage them to come and experience this
great capital city.' 

One of the worst affected attractions is London Zoo, where visitor numbers
are down by as much as a third and families with pre-booked tickets have
been ringing to request that they be allowed to transfer to the Whipsnade
Wild Animal Park, which is outside London. 

Simon Rayner, the zoo's head of communications, said that the result was a
potentially 'devastating' loss of revenue, which would harm future
conservation work. 

'We have seen a 30 per cent decline across the period since 7 July, and
typically August accounts for about 25 per cent of our year's income. If it
carries on we could stand to lose at least £1 million, which will affect our
conservation work around the world,' he said. 

'My own sister, who has four children, was going to come here, but then
decided it was too much hassle and went to the Suffolk coast instead. If we
can't get the confidence back, it is going to have a devastating impact.' 

Madame Tussaud's said that, while attendances were rising , they remained 10
per cent lower than expected. 

'The biggest downturn is with families rather than overseas groups,' said
Diane Moon, a spokeswoman for the waxworks. 'Domestic visitors have a choice
and some are opting to stay away, whereas I have spoken to a lot of
Americans who are saying "Hey, there's no way I am going to cancel my
trip".' 

Neil Parry, a spokesman for the London Aquarium, which normally has about
150,000 visitors a month in July and August, said that attendances were down
by up to 30 per cent. 

'The adult market is relatively stable, but people are obviously hesitant
about bringing their children in. July and August should be our busiest
months, but we are 25 to 30 per cent down and to pull back what we have lost
is going to be very difficult.' 

Natasha Woollard, a spokeswoman for the Tower of London, said attendances
and income were down by as much as 20 per cent. 

'It is a serious situation when visitor numbers drop, because we don't get
any funding from the government or from the Queen and all our income comes
from ticket sales and our shops. 

'We are still getting 50,000 people a week, but that is 2,000 a day fewer
than we would expect and probably most of those who aren't coming are
domestic visitors because they can go to the coast or go to Oxford or
somewhere else instead.' 

Attendances at the Natural History Museum between the bombings and the end
of July were 24 per cent down, while visitors are down by 20 per cent at the
Science Museum. The British Museum has suffered a 10 per cent fall in
attendances. 

Although the museums do not charge admission, they do lose significant
amounts of revenue when visitor numbers fall because of lower income from
their shops, cafés and special exhibitions. 

One option being discussed to reinvigorate the domestic market is to
introduce an 'urban safari big five' ticket which would give discounted
admission to key attractions. 

A separate campaign will also be launched this month by Visit London, aimed
specifically at residents of London and the South-East and designed to boost
attendances at forthcoming events, including the Notting Hill Carnival, the
Mayor's Thames Festival, the Great River Race and London's Open House
Weekend. 

Despite the slump in attendances by families, some attractions have managed
to recover quickly, particularly where adults usually form the bulk of
visitors such as the National Gallery, the Tate Modern and Tate Britain,
which reported attendances close to expected levels last week. Overseas
visitors are also said to be holding up well. 

Venues outside central London, such as Kew Gardens, where attendances are up
10 per cent since the bombings, and the RAF Museum at Hendon, where visitor
numbers have risen 14 per cent, are also doing well. 

The emergence of the trend for families to minimise their trips into the
capital follows the disclosure last week that passenger numbers on the
London Underground have fallen by about 30 per cent at weekends and by
between 5 and 15 per cent on weekdays.