Crowning Glory – A weekend to remember
The last of the banners, flags and coronation trappings have long since been cleared away and the visitors from all over the globe have departed - but the once-in-a generation event which saw King Charles III crowned amidst such pomp and ceremony will Iive on in memory and history.
As a demonstration of the UK’s flair for pomp and ceremony there can be no doubt that the Coronation attracted huge global attention - and an influx of tourism to the capital, with hotel bookings booming and a 10% increase in flight bookings from the American market during May.
But set the huge cost of the Coronation, estimated at around £100 million, against the current cost of living squeeze and what do the British public really think? A recent express.co.uk poll has shown the the majority of readers think that the expense is worthwhile - in terms of the unique national heritage, the international prestige and the fact that the expenditure actually provided a boost to the economy - UK Hospitality has reported that the coronation could bring in £350 million, with the hospitality industry in particular benefitting.
Undoubtedly, London will have seen the majority of the additional expenditure but the declaration of a ‘Coronation weekend ‘ will have resulted in celebrations nationwide, with increased expenditure on food and alcohol.
Local supermarkets and C-stores are certain to have benefited and we hope those Loomis Smart Safes were very full! The flip side, of course, is that the extra public holiday on May 8 will have reduced output in other sectors.
Patricia Yates, chief executive of the VisitBritain tourism board, hopes that the feel-good factor will persist, commenting “Events like this really kick-start the recovery, don’t they? And they put Britain on the world stage again”.