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We're bleeding' – London's theatres, shops and hotels claim they are suffering because of the Olympics
The Olympics is turning central London into a "ghost town" as the games put off thousands of visitors to the city.
Shops, hotels and theatres owners say that many people are staying at home and staying away, fearful that they will get caught up in congestion and be overcharged.
More than 100,000 fans – a record – have flocked to the host city to watch the "the biggest show on earth" but that is putting off other tourists who normally flock to the city.
An estimated 300,000 foreign tourists would normally be expected in a typical year. Londoners are also staying away, believing everything to be full and busy.
"We're bleeding, darling," said Nica Burns, chief executive of Nimax Theatres, told the Financial Times.
"For my six theatres, last week was the worst this year. I think the Olympics are great – but I feel like I've been the bullseye for the archery competition."
Ms Burns believes that ticket sales at her company's six West End theatres could be down almost a third for the summer.
Other tourist attractions, such as museums, are also suffering with footfall down by 30-35 per cent over the past fortnight.
Bernard Donoghue, chief executive of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, whose members include the British Museum, the Tower of London and the Science Museum – "have been trying to compensate by telling people there are fewer queues and longer opening hours".
Transport for London has been warning for months of heavy disruption over the summer in central London and urging travellers to avoid transport hubs and plan alternative routes.
The voice of Boris Johnson, London's mayor, has boomed from station platforms warning of the imminent "huge pressure" on the transport system.
TfL said estimates of journeys on the Tube were up 4 per cent on Monday from normal traffic.
In response to slow bookings, hotels have now cut prices. Research by Hotels.com said prices in London during the Olympics had fallen around 25 per cent in a two-week period in June.
Nick Palan, managing director for Golden Tours, an open-top tour bus company, said: "It's totally destroyed the market for us this summer.
The hotels put up prices heavily earlier in the year and some of the larger tour companies literally stopped selling London back in May. We're down by over 20 per cent."
David Cameron, prime minister, has said £13bn of economic investment should flow from the games over four years, some of which is from tourism.
But in the short term, the benefits are more elusive.
Mark Field, a London Conservative MP, said: "The message has been going out for months that London would be packed to the rafters – and the transport system would be under pressure – and that has put a lot of people off.
"The high-end hoteliers are fine because of all the official Olympic guests but many others have not benefited so much."
Mr Donoghue of ALVA said the body had asked TfL to alter its advice to travellers: "As long as you avoid peak times and stations, London is surprisingly accessible and open for business."
Businesses in the town hosting Olympic sailing have claimed that far from heralding a spending bonanza, the Games have damaged trade.
Weymouth was expected to attract more than 60,000 visitors a day, but while the main spectator arena has been sold out, a separate 15,000–capacity live area on the beach is struggling to attract more than 1,000 a time, it was reported.
Retailers say that at a time of year when they would normally be expecting visitors to flock to the beach, the resort is "dead". "The Olympics have damaged my business," said Dennis Spurr, of The Fantastic Sausage Company.
"It's the negative advertising – beat the delays, plan your journey now, come by train – people have been put off. Normally this time of year you can't move. The town is dead and businesses are really worried."
James Parsons, 42, owner of the Nothe Tavern near the ticketed Olympic site at Nothe Fort, said business was much quieter on the opening day of the sailing events than a usual Sunday in July.
'We're bleeding, darling' – London's theatres, shops and hotels claim they are suffering because of the Olympics - Telegraph
