London is busy — there is no question about it. Anyone who has visited Soho at the weekend or tried to buy a pint at a heaving City pub on a Thursday evening can vouch for that.
And there are plenty of foreign voices in the mix as the capital approaches peak tourist season.
But are there enough?
Spending by overseas visitors enjoying holidays in London is the proverbial icing on the cake that often make the difference between red and black at the bottom of the accounts at the end of the year.
For Theatreland those tourist dollars are more vital than ever as venues desperately try to make up for the hugely challenging dark years of pandemic.
So the last thing they need is the Government holding back the number of people visiting the capital.
But as Heart of London business chief Ros Morgan, as well as highly respected cultural bosses such as producer Sonia Friedman, and SOLT’s Emma De Souza, explain on these pages today, that is exactly what is happening.
The Treasury continues to insist that VAT shopping plays only a very minor role in London’s global appeal to tourists. But that is not what they are saying in Paris, Milan and Madrid.
It is like sending out the England cricket team to face Australia with only 10 players. Why on earth would you do it if you did not have to?
The Government has said it will listen to the “evidence” before making a final decision on the future of VAT-free shopping. It should pay heed to the cultural leaders making their case today.
