British businesses must work on changing their employees' attitudes towards customer service in time for the 2012 London Olympics, it has been claimed.
The games would see as many as one million extra visitors arrive in the UK, not just in London but across the south-east and further afield, said head of skills and training at Tourism South East, Sue Gill.
Employers from key service industries including retail, transport and hospitality needed to make sure that workers were ready to learn new customer service skills, she explained.
Ms Gill advised that businesses should think about areas including improving their welcome to different nationalities, understanding different culture and language issues and how to best present facilities to overseas visitors.
Making a visit to the UK a memorable experience was key to repeat business and maximising the reputation of the country as a tourist destination, she said.
"We're all ambassadors for our country and we're really going to be in the spotlight in the run-up to the Olympics," she told Personnel Today.
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