Come To Britain Or Not

In light of the recent street violence and unrest in London, Birmingham, Manchester and other areas, the UK Tourist board has been forced to pull a scheduled advertising campaign intended to go out, inviting people to come to Britain.

Destined to be placed on the BBC and the iPlayer site, which reaches a global audience who download BBC programmes and radio broadcasts on the site, the timing was felt to be a little too sensitive with current events and the campaign was pulled.

Comparisons can be drawn with other countries suffering unrest and violence, although the nearest comparable example Thailand invested heavily in its tourism trade following rioting and shooting last year. As seen in London, there was also a huge voluntary campaign in cleaning up the aftermath of the unrest, seen as a vital step in restoring both the natural beauty of the capital city and the civic pride of the native Thais, many of whom were as aghast at the unprecedented violence as London and other city residents have been in the UK.

With the Olympics around the corner in 2011, politicians and organisers must be wearing their fingernails pretty thin. With questions hanging over the completion of facilities and provision of public transportation already, the additional spectre of violence marring the event can only add to the ever-spiralling budget as more police and security will undoubtedly have to be drafted in.

In 2010, the British delegation were among many who voiced serious complaints over the state of the athletes village at the Delhi Commonwealth games, stating that the facilities were barely fit for human habitation. There were also serious security concerns following attacks in Mumbai, resulting in several athletes refusing to take part in the games and offering a variety of excuses.

Now the running spikes appear to be firmly on the other foot and London must work hard to avoid similar embarrassment as it shortly becomes the focus of the world for the Olympic Games. At this point in time, surely its appropriate to stop being quite so British and pretend it didnt happen, and resurrect the Dunkirk spirit and get on with things . . . including our promotional campaigns.

About the Author:
Harry Westorne works as a marketer for Kenwood Travel and is anxious to see how the response to recent events will help or hinder the national image.

Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com

Tags: London riots

, 2012 olympics

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