AAA White Paper The political economy of informal events, 2030 | Page 73

“A city thrives when it can boast an
active business centre, when people
decide to feature its heritage – and
when it holds events.
“The thing about events is that they
tend to reveal the overall health of a
city’s culture.
“Events are good for trade and
business, but they also publicise
cities in ways which then draw many
visitors. London has always held
events that have turned into magnetic
attractions for hundreds of thousands
of visitors each year. The New Year’s
Eve fireworks at Westminster, the
BST events in Hyde Park and the
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition all
brighten up the capital, and bring in
hundreds of thousands of fans from
overseas.
“Nor is London alone in this. The
market for events is international.
Barcelona is very active in festivals.
New York is famous for its massive
concerts in Central Park; Paris, for
events on the Champs de Mar. These
occasions bring in a lot of visitors –
visitors who spend time and money
well beyond the event itself.”
On events, London and tourism
Harvey
Goldsmith
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