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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Comment
Evening Standard Comment

Evening Standard Comment: Let 2022 be the year tourists return to London

One in eight UK travel and tourism jobs will be unfilled at the beginning of next year, according to new analysis (Aaron Chown/PA)

(Picture: PA Archive)

After nearly two years of on-and-off lockdowns, vaccine programmes and testing sites, one important aspect of London life remains conspicuous by its absence: tourism.

The number of foreign visitors to the capital has plunged by more than 90 per cent since the start of the pandemic. In 2019, London attracted nearly 22 million overseas tourists who spent nearly £16 billion, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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