While I was in Barcelona last week, I started thinking about the Olympics. The rebranding of Barcelona is a case study that governments reach for whenever they are about to host a big, expensive event. South Africa will want to maximise the potential of this summer's World Cup, while London is gearing up for the Olympics in 2012.
But being the centre of the universe for a few weeks doesn't always work in the long term. Look at Athens. After Barcelona staged the Olympics in 1992, it went from being a relatively unknown city (the 13th most popular European destination, according to researcher Tourmis) to a global byword for Mediterranean hipness (and a top 5 tourist spot). This is perhaps not surprising, as visitors to the city discovered the architecture of Gaudi, a hedonistic nightlife and delicious food.
But Athens has a lot going for it too – and it has not experienced The Barcelona Effect. After some research, I discovered why. During the Olympics, many restaurants and hotels in Athens raised their prices to take advantage of the influx of visitors. As a result, tourists thought of it as an expensive city, and were reluctant to return. Barcelona hôteliers did exactly the opposite, so tourists came back again and again.
London – already an expensive place to visit – should bear this in mind. Especially since it doesn't have a beach.
