The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and the London Development Agency (LDA) have published a report – called the Tourism Vision and Action Plan – aimed at maximising the tourism opportunities provided by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Tourism Vision and Action Plan will be delivered through a series of three-year action strategies. The first strategy in the series has just been released.

Key areas include: attracting first time and repeat visitors from existing and emerging markets; improving London’s accommodation quality by encouraging quality assurance schemes; bidding to host international events such as the recent successful bid for the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships and providing targeted research and encouraging communication within the tourism industry to improve the overall quality of the visitor experience.

Many of the improvements will be made at local level through a network of five sub-regional groups in east, west, north, south and central London.

Manny Lewis, LDA chief executive, said: “Tourism translates into tangible benefits for Londoners, such as improved leisure and employment opportunities, civic pride in celebrating our diverse communities and obvious economic benefits.” Details: www.lda.gov.uk

Photograph: image courtesy of Visit London.