A slew of data today showed London recovering strongly from the pandemic with diners flooding back to restaurants and Tube ridership rebounding ever closer to pre-pandemic levels.
However, there was also a fresh warning that the capital could do even better if the Government restored tax-free shopping for foreign tourists.
Latest figures from booking portal OpenTable showed how Londoners are finally returning to dining early in the week and to weekday lunching. Mondays in May were particularly busy — although boosted by the extra Bank Holiday for the Coronation — with the 1pm time slot almost 50% busier than in April.
Dinner slots for Mondays at 6pm and 8pm are both 11% busier, while bookings for Wednesdays at 8pm are up 18%, Thursdays at 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm all 9% higher and Friday at 8pm up 12%.
Robin Chiang, VP of global sales and services, OpenTable, said: “We’ve seen a boost in weekday lunchtime and evening dining across the capital in May month-over-month, suggesting that Londoners are making the most of restaurants as the weather warms up, especially on Bank Holidays.
“As we move into summer, we’re confident that this dining demand will continue as diners can now take advantage of dining alfresco.”
Meanwhile the London Property Alliance (LPA) , which represents developers, landlords and investors in the City and West End, said London public transport use has seen a good rebound.
Passenger numbers for the London Underground reached 89% of pre-pandemic levels in the first three months of 2023, compared with just 69% for the New York subway and 84% for the Hong Kong rail system, though London is behind Paris.
However, analysis for the first quarter shows air passenger numbers in New York hit 32 million, up 4% on pre-pandemic levels. In Paris air passenger demand is at 90% of 2019 levels, with London just behind at 89% — although Heathrow is slightly ahead at 95%. Hong Kong, meanwhile, has recovered to just 43% of pre-Covid figures.
LPA chief economic adviser Alexander Jan said: “Despite an uncertain economic outlook, London continues to rebound strongly following the pandemic.” But he warned: “Tourism is vital to London’s economy and we are seeing an uneven return of international visitors and are now falling behind other global cities.”
