These are hard times for tourism. A sharp fall in tourist numbers, particularly from North America post-September 11th, has driven down hotel prices to their lowest in a decade and West End theatres are experiencing a 15 per cent drop in attendance figures compared to last year with box office receipts falling by 14 per cent.
The dearth of high-spending tourists has forced one London hotel to close "temporarily" until business picks up and one hotel consultancy firm says spending per hotel room in the capital is at its lowest since the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1991. And with British tourism set to lose an estimated £1 billion in the final quarter of this year, it seems the West End, as one theatre critic put it, "could be an incidental, unexpected victim" of international terrorism.
Musicals, particularly the long-running ones, are feeling the squeeze.
Lavish productions such as Cats, Les MisΘrables and The Phantom of the Opera have traditionally depended on American tourists to fill up to half their seats but because tourists are not coming in such large numbers, they are suffering. Several closures were simply blamed on the fall in tourism after September 11th. But it is also true that some shows had either lost their sparkle after many years in "theatreland" - Peggy Sue Got Married and Starlight Express - or the critics and audiences decided they were not very good - Mahler's Conversion - and the show had to close.
The downturn in tourist numbers is also a worry for retailers. Mr David Southwell of the British Retail Consortium says retailers in London, already "suffering" before September 11th because of foot-and-mouth, are now being hit by a decline in regional visitors travelling to the capital for shopping and a West End show.
London, he says, has lived with the constant threat of terrorism for 30 years and Londoners are still spending money but there is a "degree of reticence" among regional tourists. The upside of the situation, however, is that Irish tourists can enjoy London at a slower, more relaxed pace.
"It is just at this time that the consumer is in a win situation. The retailers are always courting them and it is a bit less crowded and a bit more pleasant to be in London, to book restaurants and shows," Mr Southwell says.
And Mr Rupert Rhymes, chief executive of the Society of London Theatres, says with less American tourists buying up theatre tickets, Irish visitors could take advantage and buy the best seats.
"For overseas visitors, the price is important and packages are being put together with restaurants and hotels and audiences can get great bargains," he says.
It's not all doom and gloom in the West End. Theatre producers, restaurant owners and retailers have been holding talks with London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, about how to reverse the rot and yesterday they came up with some interesting ideas. Using £500,000 funding from the mayor's office from an overall £4 million cash injection to help the tourism industry, West End theatres have provided up to 60,000 subsidised tickets for the Christmas and New Year season.
The tickets will include restaurant vouchers for discounted meals and, in an attempt to encourage Londoners to spend more money, free bus tickets will be included in the package So, although the euro-sterling exchange rate is unfavourable to Irish visitors at the moment, it could be the best time to see a West End show or indulge in some retail therapy on Kensington High Street.
Information on theatre offers can be found at:
www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk
rdonnelly@irish-times.ie