Will power

Prince William and his Mrs have revolutionized old Britain and given the Queen a new lease on life. Rebecca Williams discovers the iconic attractions picking up new business and finds out what London has to offer in 2012.

Travel to London in 2012 will be “huge” thanks to big interest in the Olympics, the Queen’s diamond jubilee and the royal couple.

It is welcome news after a topsy-turvy 2011; Kiwi travel was disrupted by the earthquake and Rugby World Cup but the New Zealand dollar gained strength against the Pound.

The tourism board also had its ups and downs. VisitBritain closed its local office managed by Sally Holyer in October and rolled out the Great Britain You’re Invited campaign in 21 key international markets.

The programme will run for ten years and leverage opportunities beyond the Olympics including the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014, Rugby World Cup 2015 and Cricket World Cup in 2019.

Visit England media relations manager Emma Thomas, who is based in New York, will be taking New Zealand under her wing. Thomas said the New Zealand market is strong and it was important to keep momentum up into 2012.

“We will continue to leverage opportunities developed by Sally [Holyer] and build on the relationships she created,” said Thomas. “Olympic numbers out of New Zealand are higher than expected, especially compared to the Beijing Olympics. Kiwis tend to feel comfortable in London, they know where they are and feel like they can be part of the experience. They can also stay with friends while they are there.”

The NZ Olympic Committee is expecting more than 3,000 New Zealanders to travel over for the Games.

“The London Olympic Games has attracted three times the number of New Zealanders than the Beijing Olympic Games did in 2008,” said communications manager Ashley Abbott. “London is always a favourite destination for Kiwis and the Olympic Games are an additional draw card.”

Perhaps the greatest asset for Great Britain in the lead up to the Olympics has been William and Kate.

“The royal couple are a PR dream. We are seeing huge interest from younger visitors in Buckingham Palace, stately homes and historic attractions.”

The recent wedding dress exhibition at Buckingham Palace attracted a record breaking 600,000 people in ten weeks.

The place that William and Kate call home, the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, is also becoming a must-see for fans along with Windsor Castle and Westminster Abby.

Thomas expected interest in the royal family to continue in 2012 as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is celebrated across Britain from June 2-5. Several major events have already been announced, including a concert at Buckingham Palace and a flotilla along the River Thames.

Historic Royal Palaces head of sales Ann Wilson said said New Zealander's feature high on our visitor stats, especially at the Tower of London with two per cent of visitors this summer.

“We are forecasting 2.5m visitors to the Tower of London this year, so no mean number in real terms. However visits year on year to the Tower from the Australia/New Zealand markets have dipped slightly, this could be put down to the increased cost of travel/duty in getting here possibly.”

She said the Royal Wedding had ignited an interest and desire from tour operators, groups and coach companies to include the palaces in itineraries and excursions.

“Keeping that momentum going throughout 2012 and supporting the trade with a range of events at Historic Royal Palaces is our goal.”

However, it is not just the royal family getting all the credit – Downton Abby and Harry Potter are also getting attention.

Downton Abby is filmed at Highclere Castle near Newbury. The property was in need of work before the show became an international phenomenon now it is undergoing multi-million dollar refurbishments after the owners were inundated with requests from visitors.

Meantime, Warner Bros. Studios have opened a tour of their Leavesdon Studio (outside of London) featuring original sets, costumes, props and effects used in all eight Harry Potter films. Tickets are £28 ($57) per adult and must be purchased in advance at www.wbstudiotour.co.uk.

Shakespeare’s Globe has also announced plans to celebrate the 2012 with a multi-lingual Shakespeare project. Over the course of six weeks, beginning on Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23, the Globe will host 37 international theatre companies.

However, there is one major issue plaguing London – the Air Passenger Duty (APD). APD has risen from £20 in 2007 to £85 in 2010 and is set to increase even further in April 2012 to £92 ($184).

Since 2009 the APD has been split into four distance bands, with both Australia and New Zealand falling into the highest band, for destinations over 9,650 kilometres (6000 miles) from London.

“The APD is a discriminatory, arbitrary tax which impedes tourism, travel, trade and economic growth. This will be the fourth APD rise since 2007 and now takes the tax paid by an ordinary British traveller to more than A$140,” said Tourism & Transport Forum Australia chief executive John Lee.

“It’s a tax on tourism which reaps billions of pounds in revenue for the British government masquerading as environmental policy.”

TIA CEO Tim Cossar said the latest rise is an unfair burden on long-haul tourism.

“The UK already has the highest departure tax in the world and this latest rise means a family of four will pay more than $736 in taxes just to leave the country,” said Cossar.

“It will simply price more potential visitors to Australia and New Zealand out of the market.”

Both organisations are urging their respective governments to raise concerns directly with the British Government.