Data cast doubt on Olympics tourism legacy For many Britons, the arrival of 2013 was tinged with sadness at the passing of a magical year of Olympic sport and jubilee pageantry. Yet for Britain's tourism industry, the new year could not come soon enough. IN London 2012 Olympics The latest data show that, despite hopes the Olympics would showcase the country's attractions to the world, the number of visitors has declined since the games. After a 4 per cent drop in overseas visits in the three months to September 30 - when the Olympic and Paralympic games were held in London - there was another 4 per cent decline in October, according to the Office for National Statistics. As a result, the UK's tourism deficit - meaning more money was spent by Britons holidaying abroad than overseas tourists in Britain - widened to £5.7bn from July to September, up from £5.3bn in the same period in 2011. Meanwhile UK-bound tourists" spending declined by 11 per cent year-on-year in October. Tourism leaders attribute the decline to factors including high-priced accommodation and a complex visa process for non-EU visitors. "From a tourism perspective there is a danger that we won't really see a legacy at all from the Olympics," said Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), an industry body. Having initially hoped for a boost from the Olympics, it became clear over the summer that many overseas tourists had stayed away during the games. The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) - which includes tourist sites such as the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral - said visitor numbers were down more than 50 per cent at many attractions. "What's more significant is that this period is our equivalent of the retail sector's Christmas period," said Bernard Donoghue, Alva's director. Hotel occupancy rates suggest the Olympics also failed to act as an advertisement for London as a tourist destination after the games. Jeremy Hunt, the then culture secretary, said in August that the games would "turbocharge" the tourism industry on the back of "a globally enhanced reputation." Yet in both London and the regions, occupancy rates in September and November have been flat year-on-year, according to hotel consultants PKF. "There hasn't been much in the way of a blip or boon in the hotel business since the Olympics," said Robert Barnard, partner at PKF, citing the impact of high value added tax and the difficulty of securing tourist visas among the main deterrents. Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainment, the theme park operator, blamed the Olympics for "a huge cannibalisation effect" on his business. To reverse the damage, the BHA is calling on the government to cut VAT on hotels and visitor attractions to levels similar to those in France and Spain - where rates are 7 and 8 per cent respectively - and to simplify the process for getting visas. "Both in terms of international visitor arrivals and domestic tourism, there is a risk that if we don't act quickly the numbers could stagnate or decline further," said Ms Ibrahim. An Ipsos Mori survey on Monday showed that leaders of Britain's largest companies believe the Olympics boosted Britain's global standing, but most said the games did not directly benefit their own businesses. The findings followed an ICM/Guardian poll last week which found that almost 80 per cent of Britons felt the £9bn spent on the games was value for money. It found 78 per cent believed the Olympics "did a valuable job in cheering up a country in hard times"," compared with 20 per cent who looked back on them as "a costly and dangerous distraction"." Last month the ONS said that those tourists who did visit Britain during the Olympics spent more than during the corresponding period in 2011. The Department for Culture Media and Sport said UK tourism would see long-term benefits from the games and said it was investing £55m in a campaign to promote Britain overseas. "We have always been clear that this was about building a long-term tourism legacy," a spokesman said.