HUNDREDS of thousands of extra visitors are now expected to turn up in London during the Olympics, new research has predicted.


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Though it was always obvious the Olympics would attract tourists, some industry experts had thought the 21012 Games would put many others off and that, overall, there might even be fewer coming to London than usual.

But those doubts can now be cast aside thanks to information put together by market researchers at Forward Data, who have seen the future by delving into the stats for tourists who have already booked trips to London during the 2012 Games from 17 July to 18 August.

It turns out visitor numbers are set to rise this summer by some 13% over normal years, which equates to at least 250,000 extra visitors.

There are also likely to be more Londoners staying put for the Olympics than previously imagined, as flights out of town in the weeks before the Games are down 5% on last year.