Early ULEZ could hit tourism hard
Early introduction of ULEZ could hit London’s tourism economy by up to £115m, according to a report commissioned by CPT. Entitled ‘Benefits of Coach Tourism to the London Economy’, the study was produced by transport consultants, Steer Davies Gleave. It has revealed that the early introduction of the Central London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) could hit the capital’s tourism economy by up to £115m over the next 15 years.
The report revealed that there were over 13m tourists arriving in London by coach in 2015, of whom 1m were overseas visitors. It found that over the next 15 years, a ULEZ introduction could see 8.5m fewer tourists visiting the city by coach, up to 7m coach passengers transferring to other modes of transport and up to 1.5m tourists no longer travelling to the capital. It states this could cause a £115m potential reduction in spend from visitors arriving by coach of which £70m will be a direct loss as a result of those staying away and a £45m decrease in spend from those transferring to other modes. The report says it will see a £1.6bn increase to operators in fleet replacement costs, reduced second hand market vehicle values and additional ULEZ costs (daily charges) over the next 15 years.
CPT CEO, Simon Posner, said, ‘The proposals outlined in the Mayor of London’s recent ULEZ consultation have far reaching effects on the coaching industry, and the detailed findings within this independently verified report will form a key part of our formal response whilst further supporting our ongoing campaigning in this area. In addition to CPT’s response on behalf of the industry, I urge all members to take the opportunity to complete the online consultation and clearly state the potential implications of ULEZ on their own businesses and operations. In addition to completing the Mayor’s consultation, members may also wish to raise their thoughts and concerns on the introduction of ULEZ with local MPs and industry stakeholders at the earliest opportunity. The report demonstrates a significant investment by CPT and its members, and is certainly money well spent.’
The report is available at www.cpt-uk.org//_uploads/attachment/4013.pdf and the consultation can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/airquality-consultation. It closes on 18 December 2016.