The European Tour Operators Association has warned the travel industry of the perils of the Olympics, calling the industry members delusional if they believe that the event will create a surge in travel and tourism.

The ETOA has suggested that rather than being a boom for London, the UK and Europe the 2012 London Olympic Games are more likely to be costly to the industry in the long-term.

According to ETOA president Jack Coronna the European travel industry is historically strong and steady. In a speech made at the annual ETOA Global European Marketplace event Coronna claimed the travel industry could do without the Olympic Games. Coronna also made it clear that the Olympics were a sporting event and were not a component of the industry at large. The ETOA president went so far as to say that the Olympics posed a threat to those who rely on travel for business and livelihoods.

According to studies undertaken by the ETOA into previous Olympic Games it found that the impact on tourism and travel in cities such as Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and Beijing was overall negative. Though obviously peaking at the time of the games themselves the periods before and after suffered considerably.

In the month prior to the Beijing Olympics visitor arrival numbers were down by 30% compared to the previous year. Arrivals also fell by 20% in the month post-games. The travel and tourism market also stalled in 2000 across Australia when the games were held in Sydney.

Offering tourists incentives to visit for other reasons than the games themselves was seen as vital to continued recovery in the travel industry. The ETOA wants to ensure that London has an Olympic Games to be proud while not deterring other visitors.