Slump in American visitors hits British hotels

A dip in the number of Americans visiting Britain hit their hotel trade last year.

With Japanese numbers also falling, occupancy rates at London hotels went down nearly 10% in 2001.

Statistics from accountants and business advisers PKF showed the number of Americans staying in London hotels dropped 24.8%, with Japanese numbers down 11.6% and European visitors dipping 4.9%.

Fortunately for the London establishments, the number of UK visitors rose 11.9%.

This meant that the overall fall in the average daily room occupancy for London hotels was limited to 9.7%, with 2001 occupancy reaching 72.9%.

PKF said the capital's hotels had been "battered" by the combination of the US economic slowdown, the foot-and-mouth outbreak and the terrorist attacks on September 11.

"It was 2001's misfortune to follow the millennium - a year of record-breaking success," said Melvin Gold, managing director of PKF's hotel consultancy services.

He added: "While 2001 may have seemed like an annus horribilis, it should be regarded more as a dip caused by a variety of different and unforeseen circumstances from which the industry will recover."