Visitors from across the UK are being encouraged to rediscover everything they love about London, with the launch of the city’s biggest ever domestic tourism campaign – called ‘Let’s Do London.’ Launched today by the Mayor of London, Visit London, Transport for London and backed by industry, the multimillion-pound campaign and events programme will bring together the capital’s world-leading hospitality, culture, nightlife and retail venues to promote all London has to offer.
The campaign will reinvigorate Central London with a curated programme of seasonal events and cultural activities designed to suit a range of age groups. Over the course of the year, visitors to the UK capital will be able to enjoy new exhibitions, family-friendly experiences, theatre shows, sporting events, festivals and pop-up food and drink sites.
With restrictions on international travel likely to continue over the coming months, the ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign will provide inspirational reasons for Londoners, day-trippers and overnight visitors to return to the capital as COVID restrictions are lifted. Analysis of forecasts by VisitBritain showed that consumer spending in central London by overseas tourists was £7.4 billion lower throughout 2020, while domestic tourists will have spent £3.5 billion less.
A raft of new spectacular public art installations will also attract people back into London from this month. David Hockney, one of the UK’s most influential living artists, has redesigned TfL’s iconic roundel ‘Hockney Circus’ in a special artwork as part of a takeover of Piccadilly Circus Underground Station starting today. Turning central London into a huge outdoor art gallery, award winning London designer Yinka Ilori is leading on ‘Asphalt Art’, a series of major new temporary streetscape commissions in central London and the City of London, in partnership with the London Design Festival and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative. There will also be a transformation of road crossings and street furniture in the West End, with a partnership between Royal Academy artists and the Heart of London Business Alliance Art of London programme. And multi-award-winning artist and designer Es Devlin will plant a living forest at Somerset House for this year’s London Design Biennale.
The summer season will see a programme of family fun, designed to make London a great choice for a staycation. From Alice in Wonderland at the V&A and Fantastic Beasts at the Natural History to the Royal Opera House ‘Unlocked’ taking over the Covent Garden piazza. ‘London Lates’ over the summer months will see extended opening hours across museums, galleries and cultural and grassroots music venues. Shakespeare’s Globe for example will stage ‘Midnight Matinees’ with performances starting at 11.59pm, and an invitation to get back to the big screen will see outdoor film screenings curated by BAFTA and the British Film Institute.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Our new campaign is bringing together many of the capital’s leading organisations and venues to offer an unparalleled experience for anyone visiting the capital throughout the year. With restrictions on international travel likely to continue this year, Londoners and visitors from the UK have a unique opportunity to experience all the capital has to offer without the queues. In doing so you’ll be providing vital support for our world-leading venues as they start to re-open and need our help more than ever.”