London continues to be one of the top destinations for global travellers, particularly North American travellers, with the UK capital reporting its strongest hotel occupancy numbers and flight bookings since the pandemic, London & Partners has said.
The destination celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this past spring with record crowds, entertainment and royal family sightings. Visitors from North America continue to outdo other international markets, ranking London among the top destinations on their travel bucket list.
According to the latest Traveler Insights Report from Expedia Group Media Solutions, London was the third most booked destination globally in the second quarter of 2022 and the second most booked international destination by North American travellers. London also ranked as the number one booked destination for travellers from the Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.
Separate research from ForwardKeys reports that North American travellers are showing a strong appetite for visiting London this Autumn, with flight bookings up by 227 percent compared with the same time period last year.
Laura Citron, CEO at London & Partners, which runs Visit London, said: ‘London has been brimming with energy and excitement and it’s fantastic to see visitors from all around the world returning to our city. So far, 2022 has been a massive year for London which saw us celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, as well as the return of major sporting events, festivals, theatre shows and our world-class museums and galleries. We’re seeing a huge pent-up demand for North American travellers to visit London this fall and winter, with lots of opportunities for visitors to enjoy some of our world leading cultural and festive activities for the rest of this year.’
A number of airlines have recently launched new air routes to London making it an easier trip to plan for many. In June, British Airways became the first airline to offer a direct route to London from Portland adding a new route for visitors from the west coast. British Airways also resumed flights from Pittsburgh and San Jose to cater to increased demand. In the first week of August, JetBlue commences flight from Boston to London.
In addition, United Airlines also launched a new Boston to London route in March while increasing frequency of flights to London from Newark, Denver and San Francisco after data showed that London was one of the most booked international destinations, particularly amongst business clientele. In November 2022 Virgin Atlantic will launch its new Tampa to London route for the holiday season. According to latest flight data, on average there are over 100 flights a day from the US to London.
