Leisure and Tourism Development

London's network of waterways is a unique leisure asset, providing a scenic and atmospheric alternative to the hustle and bustle of city life. British Waterways London is raising the profile of the waterways to attract visitors who are actively seeking out places to visit beyond the most well-known London attractions. We have also helped a number of tourism businesses to become established, and will continue to work in this area to ensure that the waterways in the capital make the most of their tourism potential.

Each year we carry out a wide range of activities aimed at both encouraging more visitors to explore the waterway network, and also at creating new products for them to enjoy. These include organising familiarisation visits for the press and members of the travel trade, facilitating film productions, and producing and distributing tourist information.

Thousands of visits are already made to the waterways in London for walking, boating, cycling and angling. We are working with customers, recreation associations and other partners to extend facilities and increase their use. Examples include installing angling platforms, introducing more waymarked walking routes, developing guided walks, establishing hire and trip boat bases and increasing visitor mooring sites so that more holiday boaters are able to explore the area.

We have also begun a three year programme of major refurbishment works on its moorings sites in the London Region, upgrading current mooring facilities and improving service delivery to its valued customers. Some of the works proposed include the upgrading of electricity and water supplies, improvements to sanitary facilities and landscaping of the mooring sites.

Visit www.waterscape.com for further leisure and tourism information.