Two thirds of Olympic visitors will attend some kind of entertaining or cultural event, such as concerts, musicals, plays or exhibitions, during their stay.
The research from OnePoll, cited by bbc.co.uk, seems to contrast previous worries from booking agents who suspected that the Olympics might actually damage the success of their events.
Many said prior to the poll that they had doubts about the strength of London’s infrastructure during the Games, or were concerned some would rather stay indoors during the spectacle.
However, nearly two and a half million Olympic visitors have confirmed that they are already in possession of a ticket to an exhibition, theatre event, play or concert. A further 1.7 million confirmed that they plan on attending a concert specifically, but have yet to make a purchase.
Reassuringly for many conference centres, theatres and exhibition spaces, more than half of the 1,600 people polled said that they considered London the “cultural capital of the world”, lending hope to the industries concerned.
Reuters.com notes that retailers in particular are remaining optimistic about their Olympic revenues. Andrew Murphy, retail director at John Lewis, which is an official sponsor of the Games, said that just considering the Olympic footfall should be enough to raise spirits.
He said: “When you engage with the Olympic footfall numbers and particularly if you are a sponsor business, the multiples for the four weeks around the Olympics are really phenomenal, almost scarily so, based on previous Olympics.”
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