Damage Control in Full Swing for Britain’s Tourism

After this week’s riots in London, city officials are taking great pains to stress this message to tourists: We’re still open for business. Press release after press release has described London as “safe” and “resilient,” and the riots as “not typical.”

London has good reason to be engaging in damage control. There’s a lot at stake: London is the world’s most popular tourism destination with 26 million annual visitors. Tourism accounts for about 8 percent of England’s GDP. More than 250,000 people in London work in the tourism business, a major driver of the city’s economy.

There are no statistics yet whether people are cutting back their travel plans. Those won’t be available for a few months. The bigger question is: Will this week’s violence tarnish London’s image overall?