The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has welcomed new figures from UKHospitality and CGA reporting that London’s hospitality industry revenue grew to £46bn last year, up from £43bn in 2019, and sales outpaced the rest of the UK, growing on average 7.7 per cent a month, compared to 5.6 per cent nationally.
The Mayor said he would continue to do all he can to support the industries and is calling on the Government to provide extra support for these venues.
The Mayor is protecting venues through the most pro-culture and night time London Plan, his ground-breaking Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme which has helped hundreds of venues to survive by providing advice and support, while his Let’s Do London campaign the biggest domestic and international tourism campaign the capital has ever seen, attracting over 850,000 additional visitors, who in turn contributed £360m to London’s economy.
Khan said, “London’s pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants are unrivalled and I’m delighted that they have helped our capital roar back from the impact of the pandemic.
“With figures now better than before the pandemic. It really shows the phenomenal resilience in London hospitality. The success of our world-leading hospitality sector over the last 12 months is alongside some incredible live music events that have brought huge crowds to our capital.
“However, we know much more still needs to be done to protect grassroots live music venues and those hospitality businesses that continue to struggle during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and growing challenges with recruitment.
“We need Government to step-up and do more to appreciate the crucial cultural, economic and social value of these venues and ensure they have the support they need.”
Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality Chief Executive, said, “These figures clearly show that hospitality, leisure and tourism remains absolutely critical to London.
“Our venues are somewhere that consumers, both from at home and abroad, prioritise and seek out when they visit, meaning our sector is crucial to maintaining London’s recovery and growth.
“I’m confident this appetite for hospitality and fantastic experiences will continue this year and that it can remain a key driving force behind growth and success in the capital.”