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Countdown to the Olympics... In one year’s time London is most definitely going to be the place to be as the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games get underway. But as the greatest show on Earth gears up, the Capital will experience a demand on its travel resources unlike no other we’ve seen and this will undoubtedly have an effect on business travel. So now’s the time to start planning your corporate travel strategy and Giles Travel is, of course, here to help.Inbound travel to London is especially likely to be affected and we can expect price increases across the board for air and hotel fares. If you have the ability to book air travel early then we certainly advise it. Although some airlines are considering adding extra capacity during the summer period, it’s likely that discounted tickets will soon go and prices rise to premium rates the closer we get to the event. Accommodation in London will also be severely affected. The latest figures from WIN show that the capital has a total of 120,000 rooms available during the Olympic Games, but with 52,000 already allocated to LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) plus a further 50,000 earmarked for leisure visitors, that leaves just 15% of the normal available total; this in a city which normally runs at an average 90% occupancy ratio. The next release of allocated rooms at London hotels is in January, so it would be pertinent to plan any requirements by then. However, please bear in mind that it won’t be just London that’s affected. Weymouth, Coventry, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow are all being used and there will be a big knock on effect to home counties, too. Nor will the unusually high demand on resources be limited to the days of the Games themselves: • Olympic Games: 27th July – 13th August • Paralympic Games: 29th August – 10th September So, it will be big and it will be great. But with the Olympics occurring on top of an already busy schedule for London and the South East, now’s the time for corporates to start planning their travel schedules to ensure the best rates and more flexible availability. The key is to plan and book your travel as early as possible. In the meantime, here are some numbers to put the 2012 Olympic Games in perspective: • 17 days of major impact • 23,000 athletes • 800,000 spectators • 20,000 workforce • 70,000 volunteers • 500,000 Police cameras (there’s normally 10k) • 9,000 officers on the ground • 5,000 trained security guards • 3 Police helicopters constantly over London • 7.7 million Olympic Games tickets will be available for London 2012 • 2000 newts will be relocated from the Olympic Park to the Waterworks Nature Reserve • 200 km of cabling will be used for the underground powerlines (this is the equivalent of the distance between London and Nottingham) • 8.35 km of waterways will be within or close to the Olympic Park (this is the equivalent of 167 lengths of a 50m swimming pool) • 800,000 people are expected to use public transport to travel to the Games on the busiest day; this is more than the entire population of Leeds • 53m will be the height of the Olympic Stadium. This is three metres taller than Nelson's Column • 205 Nations will be competing at the London 2012 Games • 4,000 trees will be planted on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village sites; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth planted the first tree in October 2009 on the Olympic Stadium site • 90% of material that will be reclaimed from demolition within the Olympic park can be reused or recycled • Approximately 260,000 loaves of bread are expected to be consumed at the London 2012 Olympic Games News Date: 28-07-2011 |
