New research undertaken by London hotel chain Amba Hotels, has highlighted just how little of London’s multicultural landmarks tourists are actually seeing.
While almost two-thirds (63%) of tourists have visited the historic Trafalgar Square, sites with connections to London’s significant ethnic populations attract far fewer people. Chinatown, for example, was the most visited, with only 28% of tourists visiting.
The survey of 1,617 UK residents who’ve visited London, revealed that half of respondents (47%) would be more likely to visit multicultural locations, restaurants and events if they were more aware of them. In response, Amba Hotels has created a multicultural map of London, highlighting events, restaurants, markets, workshops and museums with connections to London’s significant ethnic populations*.
There is a particularly strong interest in the multicultural elements of the city amongst younger generations. Almost two-thirds (65%) of 16 to 34-year-olds said they’d be more likely to visit multicultural locations if they were more aware of them, compared to 32% of over-55s.
The research highlights just how few people are visiting key multicultural locations in the city:
- Chinatown (28%)
- Museum of London Docklands (9%)
- Southall Market (8%)
- The Polish Institute (3%)
- Irish Heritage Centre (3%)
- Black Cultural Archives (2%)
- British Arabic Centre (2%)
Visiting cultural locations is not the only area where visitors to London are missing out on experiencing cultures that make up the city. Tourists are also sticking to traditional British food. The top five most common cuisines eaten by visitors to the city are:
- Traditional British (74%)
- Chinese (38%)
- Indian (23%)
- American (21%)
- French (12%)
- Spanish (11%)
Multicultural events in London also have a relatively low attendance for visitors. Just 1 in 10 (11%) have attended the Notting Hill Carnival. Other events rank lower, with just 3% of people attending Eid celebrations in the city, and 2% attending festivities for the Hindu festival of Holi.
Deborah Thompson, Head of Digital Marketing and Analytics at Amba Hotels, said about the research:
“London is an incredible city that has been influenced by so many cultures. This research highlights that a lot of visitors to the city are missing out on many of the incredible experiences London has to offer.
“By creating this map, we hope to highlight the incredible contributions ethnic populations have made to this city and increase awareness of where people can find out more about these.”
*As defined by the 2011 census.
