Article Written By: Sarah Maple
According to visitlondon, tourism is one of the largest industries in the city of London and worth about andpound;16 billion. Consequently, the sector accounts for over 250,000 jobs and despite the economic downturn that has been felt in areas of the tourist economy, retail and theatre are reported to be faring very well indeed. So, if youandrsquo;re on the tourism job search in London, where is the best place to look?
Midway through last year, visits to Londonandrsquo;s museums and galleries, including The British Museum and The Vandamp;A, were on the increase compared to the year before. The increase was felt at both free and paid-for attractions and was spread equally between small and large attractions. Despite this comparable improvement between 2007 and 2008, visitor figures have been on a general decline since 2006 due to, according to Visit London, andlsquo;a drop-off in overseas visits, coupled with the strong pound, and lower domestic consumer confidenceandrsquo;. Interestingly, in March of last year retail fared the best in comparison to visitor spend at attractions and accommodation. Even though economic conditions were getting worse, in central London particularly, retailers were earning more than attractions and hotels, with the latter on a notable decline. It seems that visitor spending priorities might now lie with the diverse and impressive range available in what Oxford Street has to offer, whilst not visiting that extra gallery or staying that extra night. London's theatre district in the West End is another sector to watch during 2009. Between 2007 and 2008, attendances reached record highs of, according to The Telegraph, 13.6 million due to the popularity of reality television shows such as andlsquo;Any Dream Will Doandrsquo; and andlsquo;How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?andrsquo;, as well as the increase in American actors on the stage. Consequently, it seems that if andldquo;theatrelandandrdquo; can remain in the national consciousness into 2009, its popularity might continue despite a projected decrease in spend. With the credit crunch, elsewhere around the UK has seen cuts to jobs and redundancies in a number of industries. However for Londonandrsquo;s tourism sector, retail, hotels, attractions, and the West End have all moved into the current economic turbulence from a position of strength and are seemingly as likely to benefit from an increase in visitor numbers influenced by a weak pound, as they are to suffer from less overall spend - but of course time will tell.Sarah Maple writing about jobs and the job search market
This Article Has Been Published on Mon, 9 Feb 2009 and Read 109 Times