Alan Johnson: Leave campaign need to spell out what Brexit would mean for UK tourism industry

On Sunday (29 May 2016) Alan Johnson, Chair of the Labour in for Britain campaign, will visit the Olympic Park in London and call on the Leave campaign to set out what impact leaving the European Union would have on the UK tourism sector.

He will highlight how more than half of the visitors to the London 2012 Olympics were from the European Union and that they spent more than £300 million in total in the UK.

In the BBC EU debate on Thursday night UKIP Leave spokesperson Diane James said the Leave campaign “just did not know” whether visas would be required to travel between the UK and EU countries in the event the UK votes to leave. Such a system could put the UK’s position as a leading tourist destination at risk.

Alan Johnson will say:

“The UK is a magnet for tourists and London, as a world leading city and major international hub, is a prime destination for major sporting and cultural events.

“There is no greater example of this than London 2012. But we should not forget that the majority of visitors to the Olympics and Paralympic Games came from our neighbouring European countries.

“It’s because Britain is, and is seen as, a global country that others look to us to stage great events like the Olympics. Stepping back from Europe would put that at risk, as we’d be a less obvious home for major world sporting events like the European Championships which will this summer bring all of Europe together.

“The Leave campaign simply can’t answer the question of what leaving the EU would do to our tourism industry. Labour is clear; Britain is strongest within the EU, as a leading, outward facing, and truly global nation and that’s why we should vote to remain.”


Official figures show that in the last year a record number of tourists (more than 24 million) visited the UK from the European Union. And in 2014 – the latest figures available – EU tourists spent almost £10 billion across the country.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics also reveal that, regionally, Greater London saw the highest visits - 10.1 million in total and the highest spend - £4.7 billion, with the South East England and Scotland following behind.