The organisation will launch a UK campaign in May to raise awareness of London's outdoor spaces and eco-friendly attractions and venues. It will be aimed at domestic visitors concerned about the environmental impact of flying.
The activity, which will encourage visitors to be 'green' tourists, is also designed to raise London's profile in a competitive global tourism market.
The work forms part of a £3m UK marketing spend by Visit London this year, and will be the first to feature the city's redesigned branding (Marketing, 21 November). The fresh identity, intended to raise the profile of London ahead of its hosting of the 2012 Olympics, will promote it as the world's number-one city destination.
Visit London will continue to encourage day-trippers and Londoners to explore more of the city, beyond the traditional tourist hotspots, through its Totally London brand. According to the organisation, visitors to the capital took 150m day trips in 2005, and spent £5bn.
The tourism body is bolstering its marketing activity ahead of a predicted slow-down in consumer spending.
Visit London expects overnight visits to the capital to remain stable this year, with tourism spend growing by just 2.1%.
A further threat to visitor numbers will come from increased marketing activity by low-cost airlines, and improved rail links to the Continent following Nov-ember's launch of the High Speed One train service, which operates out of London's St Pancras station.
In addition, London faces competition from other UK cities that have bolstered their marketing spend and are using Lottery money to develop attractions.
Several have won bids for sporting and cultural events, such as Liverpool, which is the reigning European Capital of Culture, and Glasgow, which is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
VisitBritain claims that London will not start to see the benefits of hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games until after 2010.
Is London doing enough to promote its green credentials?
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