Why the Olympic dream may be a nightmare for Cumbria
Don't get me wrong, I think once the 2012 opening ceremony has been beamed into our living rooms we'll all be excited that the UK is hosting the biggest show on earth.
Of course I would have liked to have been there in person but my ticket application for any Olympic event failed to come up trumps.
So we are left wondering what the "London" games will actually do for those of us north of the Watford Gap.
When working on tonight's programme (Monday, 27 February 21012, 19:30 GMT, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One) it came as quite a surprise that the normally crowded Lakes would in fact lose visitors because of the .
that we'd all get a slice of the action in 2012, it turns out that the Japanese who flock to Cumbria because of their love of will be staying away.
The tour operators bring Far East visitors to Britain for a trip of a lifetime and that has to include London. With hotel prices rising six-fold during the games they have simply cancelled the entire itinerary.
Jonathan Denby
On the positive side the Olympic torch will be carried across Windermere on one of the cruise boats and will potentially provide one of the iconic picture postcard shots of the UK.
If it gets shown abroad who knows how much business it might bring in future years.
Several years ago I went to to see how it benefitted from the .
Like our region, it was teased with promises of how the games (some two hours away by car) would bring enormous benefits outside the state capital.
One laundry company did pick up a lucrative contract and a construction firm also worked on the stadia. Some countries based Olympic teams in the city and that was welcome.
Truth is it was hard to find any long term results in that community. The Ozzies certainly warmed to the games as it was a global showcase, but few tourists put Newcastle on their itinerary as a result.
Some companies in the North East & Cumbria have won contracts on the 2012 gig, but it's hardly been shouted from the rooftops. With just a few months to go we don't yet seem to have caught the Olympic fever.
I wish the games every success, but I intend giving London a wide berth later this summer. The lure of a 2012 soccer match at isn't enough to make me want to spectate in person.
I might pick up a great deal in Cumbria of course, and watch the games from the comfort of a hotel with glorious views of the lakes to boot.
What's your take on the Olympics? I'd love to hear your views - just add your comment to this blog.
The London Olympic stadium
Hi, I'm Chris Jackson - presenter of the North East & Cumbria's very own current affairs programme, Inside Out. Welcome to my blog where I'll reveal some behind-the-scenes goings-on and share my thoughts on the stories we cover.
Comment number 1.
At 29th Feb 2012, Czar-Orac wrote:The whole country is losing out, the obscene amounts of money being spent to play host to the olympics is a disgrace.
25,000 security guards, 13,500 military are being used, more than are deployed in Afghanistan at an additional cost of £275 million, £80 million for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The swimming pool was going to cost £73 million, but now it's closer to £300 million, the roof alone cost more than £100 million on its own!
The London games were supposed to cost £2.4 billion, but will now cost £9.3 billion, that's a bit of a cost over shoot ... All at a time of massive recession.
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