2012 London Olympic Games: There's no time like the present!

Have the Olympics just ended? Or have they just begun? Well, that all depends on where you live. There's no time like the present to start planning the London Olympic Games. And nobody knows that more than VisitBritain.

The resounding cheers and tears of the 2008 Beijing Olympics are still lingering on in each of us - but for VisitBritain, the UK's national tourism agency, and Visit London, the capital's tourist board, there is no time like the present when it comes to ramping up the hype for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

VisitBritain chief executive, Tom Wright says: "Britain is a sporting nation: our reputation has been earned in part by the popularity of our world-renowned events, as well as experiences, accommodation and attractions at destinations in every nation and region. Britain's Olympic Games in 2012 - and the four years leading to it - are a wonderful opportunity for us to present the character and assets of our destinations and experiences to the world."

Their hope is that all of this immediate self-promotion will not only draw in tomorrows travelers during the Olympics period, but also today's.

According to recent VisitBritain research, more than one fifth (22per cent) of potential visitors strongly agree that they are more likely to want to visit Britain in the next few years because London will host the 2012 Olympics.

Where will you be in 2012? I hear you saying, "Four years? What's the hurry?" Well, four years may seem like a small lifetime away to some, but when it comes to celebrating the fact that your country has been granted the Olympic Games, London cannot wait to get their party hats on!

So what's in it for us sports-loving Aussies planning our long-awaited trip to the UK?

This weekend will see the start of Britain's four-year Cultural Olympiad - a mammoth celebration of cultures, people and languages in London, across Britain and from around the globe.

It seems that the ideal time to take the trip to the UK is now - so what are you waiting for? The whole of London is on a mission to prove that it is worthy of this great honour. Go and see for yourself why they were chosen to host the 2012 Olympic Games!

Stay tuned to Yahoo!7 Travel for all the updates and information you'll need as the 2012 London Olympic Games draws ever closer. Also, click here for more information on VisitBritain and their Olympic-sized plans for the next four years!