2012 A BIG TOURISM OP

Colleague and friend Victoria Herriot said today that the 2012 Olympics would represent the best opportunity for tourism in her career. Like me she has been a guide for quite a while and does a few other tourism related things (including keeping horses which I am familiar with). We were on the last day of Sally Empson's 2012 course preparing for the Olympics and vic took us on a trip around Canary wharf, Woolwich (shooting) and Greenwich (where the horsey things will happen). I rarey venture there these days and I have, to my shame, to admit that I have never been to the Woolwich Arsenal where the Firepower military musem is found.
It was a great day and, although I am not always entirely comfortable with the atmosphere at these events being a little out of the guiding London loop, it was good to see old friends and even have a pint of real ale at lunchtime.
As far as work is concerned it remains to be seen whether anything much will materialise. with 100 guides on the course and more having already run or set to run, there will be a lot of guides with 2012 in their endorsement/qualification listings, but whether their will be plenty of tourist specifically needing guides with this skill remains a debatable point. A new qualification cannot do any harm. Whether it will do much (financial) good remains to be seen...