Arguably, the preparation and the expected 2012 Olympic games is believed to bring with it numerous impacts. As a matter of fact, the event will have both positive and negative events; the impacts in the United Kingdom will be on economic, environmental, political, as well as social issues. It is important to be aware of the negative socio-economic impacts that Olympic in the United Kingdom on this year will cause (Hunter 2011).
The Olympic Games in 2012 will bring a lot of congestion in the cities and in roads; in this case, the interruption of the transport system during the event will disrupt businesses across United Kingdom, especially London. Due to this impact, traditional tourism who are mainly expected during that season will decrease. For example, theaters in United Kingdom have begun to receive very low bookings (Gold 2010)
The Olympic Games is expected to be very expensive to host, meaning a lot of money will be spent to upgrade the venues and other basic requirements. In an economic perspective, this will increase the national debt, which will directly influence the spending of taxpayers’ money (LaSalle 2009). Another biggest negative impact is the cost that will be incurred by the local government. After the Olympics, the local government is expected to maintain the stadiums, of which will be earning no income. In the real sense, a lot of homes and business were displaced for the site of transportation and construction. Other negative externalities include litter and noise (Adair & Ritchie 2004).
Another negative socio-economic impact of Olympic Games to UK is the issue of insecurity. Despite the increased security details in the region, there will be a tremendous increase in crimes and fear of terrorism attack. Basically, in the contemporary society terrorism has become the biggest thread. The crowded streets and transport systems may create conflict to both residents and the visitors (Adair & Ritchie 2004). Other social issues will be the increase of promiscuity in UK; this is because many people from the entire world need to be entertainment in one way or another. Generally, Olympics will cause various disruptions in UK; the issues will relate to security issues, congestion, disruption of trade, transportation, and overspending of taxpayers’ money. Moreover, it builds a burden in the economy of UK, especially after the 2008 global crisis (Cashman 2009).
Reference List
Adair, D & Ritchie, B. 2004. Sport Tourism: Interrelationship, Impacts and Issue. New York:
Springer
Cashman, R. 2009. Impact of the Games on Olympic Host Cities. New Wales: Wadsworth
Gold, M. 2010. Olympic Cities: City Agenda, Planning and World Games. California: Wiley.
Hunter, N. 2011. The London Olympics 2012. London: British Library
LaSalle, J. 2009. Economic Impacts of Olympic Games. London: Kings Hill.
