Merlin Entertainments, the company behind the London Eye, Madame Tussauds and Legoland, says visitors are staying away from its attractions as a result of the London and Manchester terror attacks.
According to bosses at the firm, "demand for day trips fell among domestic tourists after the Westminster attack on 22 March, and deteriorated further after the subsequent attacks in Manchester and at London Bridge", reports The Guardian.
In the immediate aftermath of the London Bridge attack on 2 June, shares in Merlin began a sustained fall from an all-time high of £5.37 to £4.90 a share today.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At the time, UK tourism sector executives warned of a potential drop in visits and takings of as much as 30 per cent, reflecting the scale of decline seen in Paris after the attacks of November 2015, says The Times.
One said: "London carried on doing well after Westminster, as overseas visitors had already booked and the weak pound acted as a draw, but we face a dip… [for] four to five months.
"Paris tourism was down 30 per cent and I’m expecting something similar in London."
Visitor numbers at Merlin's venues in the capital were already lower, said the company, although trading was so far in line with expectations at parks such as Legoland and Alton Towers.
Nick Varney, chief executive, added: "What is clear, however, is that London has bounced back before and will do again."
-
September 1 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Labor Day picnic, branding strategy, and more
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
Labour shortages: the ‘most urgent problem’ facing the UK economy right nowSpeed Read Britain is currently in the grip of an ‘employment crisis’
-
Will the energy war hurt Europe more than Russia?Speed Read European Commission proposes a total ban on Russian oil
-
Will Elon Musk manage to take over Twitter?Speed Read The world’s richest man has launched a hostile takeover bid worth $43bn
-
Shoppers urged not to buy into dodgy Black Friday dealsSpeed Read Consumer watchdog says better prices can be had on most of the so-called bargain offers
-
Ryanair: readying for departure from LondonSpeed Read Plans to delist Ryanair from the London Stock Exchange could spell ‘another blow’ to the ‘dwindling’ London market
-
Out of fashion: Asos ‘curse’ has struck againSpeed Read Share price tumbles following the departure of CEO Nick Beighton
-
Universal Music’s blockbuster listing: don’t stop me now…Speed Read Investors are betting heavily that the ‘boom in music streaming’, which has transformed Universal’s fortunes, ‘still has a long way to go’
-
EasyJet/Wizz: battle for air supremacySpeed Read ‘Wizz’s cheeky takeover bid will have come as a blow to the corporate ego’
