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2012 Summer Olympics Will Affect U.K. Mobility Programs

October 20, 2011— There is less than a year from the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, but attention is already turning to global mobility programs in the U.K. With hundreds of thousands of attendees, 450,000 event staff, assorted athletes, officials, media, and other personnel expected to descend on London next summer. Opening ceremony kicks off the event on July 27, 2012, with games closing August 12; however, the Paralympic Games occur afterward from August 29 through September 9. The influx of travelers into London means transportation delays as well as increased scrutiny from the U.K. Border Agency and Customs Departments.

Venues for the games are spread throughout London in locations including Greenwich Park, Weymouth Bay and stretching to Portland Harbour in Dorset. The key area for the games is a purpose built site in Stratford called Olympic Park, which is easily accessible by public transit. Because of the spread out nature of the venues, enhanced security measures and restrictions on the road network will make travel throughout the U.K. more difficult. While increased journey times are inevitable for local travelers, moving through London is also expected to be affected. The London Underground will operate for extended hours on competition days. The London 2012 Olympic committee has invested heavily in repairs and improvements to the Docklands Light Railway while an Olympic Route Network has been developed for between venue traffic to alleviate overall travel.

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Most importantly to mobility program planning is probably the potential availability of rental properties. Many rental homes are already advertising special rates for upcoming events and are unlikely to accept long-term or extended stay rental offers that run through the Olympic Games, as these short-term rates are thought to be far more lucrative. The organizing committee in London has also already secured reservations for an estimated 90% of available property in the East End of the city for the duration of the games and the times leading up to and immediately after. This includes many hotel options. The available accommodations that remain are speculated to list for premium prices with strong demand from both corporate customers and private visitors during the summer.

Many rental homes are already advertising locally for the upcoming events, with increased rates for standard rentals also on the rise. The London Organizing Committee has also already secured reservations for 90% of the available property in East End of the city, near the Olympic Village, for the duration of the games and times leading up to and immediately after. This includes short-term and extended stay hotel options. Along with this, hotel tariffs are expected to increase nearly four times their regular rate.

During this time, The U.K. Border Agency will be responsible for the arrival and departure of people and goods attending the games. This includes security checks and visa applications for all 450,000 workers, 14,000 athletes, and visitors from over 200 participating nations. With the increased workload and a heightened security protocol, visa applications and household goods shipments are expected to see delays in processing. At this time, the level of delays cannot be estimated, but consideration should be factored into planning for delivery of shipments which may be held at ports while customs awaits clearance.

About AIReS

AIReS, which was named to the 2010 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing independently owned businesses in the U.S., is in its 30th year of providing best-in-class relocation management services. With six ISO registered U.S. offices and other strategically located employees located around the globe, AIReS is a recognized industry leader in delivering high quality relocation and assignment management services to leading corporations. The company boasts some of the industry’s highest annual customer-satisfaction scores and a client-retention rate of over 98%. For more information, please visit the AIReS website at www.aires.com.

 

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