The 8,000-mile route for the London 2012 Olympics torch relay route has been revealed, and will cover every nation and region in the UK and includes island visits.

A search for 8,000 “inspirational torchbearers” also begins today, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) said.

The torch will leave Land’s End, Cornwall, on the morning of Saturday 19 May 2012 - the day after it arrives in the UK from Greece.

The torch would come within a one-hour journey of 95 percent of people in the UK.

During the 70-day torch relay, it will pass through towns and cities including Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield and Southampton.

The 2012 torch will travel for about 12 hours a day, arriving at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony.

Locog said the route would also visit the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, Shetland, Orkney and the Isle of Lewis.

The feasibility of taking the Olympic Flame on a short visit to Dublin is still being explored.

Thousands of people are expected to celebrate along the route, with shows and concerts planned on 66 of the 70 days.

“It’s a 70-day journey of celebration,” said Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of Locog.

“I think the thing we have learned from other relays is it’s releasing that creativity, the excitement, in people’s backyards. I have seen that from relays around the world and I really do want to replicate that.”

Olympic tourism is one of the key focuses of this year’s WSDE Sport Tourism Expo, which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand - Asia’s Sport Tourism Gateway - from 27-29 September 2011.

(WSDE Sport Tourism Expo - the only global B2B show dedicated to showcasing the booming $600 billion a year Sport Tourism market)

The annual conference and exhibition is the only global B2B show dedicated to showcasing the booming $600 billion a year Sport Tourism market - the most rapidly growing sector in travel and tourism.

National, Regional or City Tourist Boards with a Sport Tourism portfolio and hotels and resorts offering sporting facilities are urged to participate in this must attend industry gathering.

WSDE Research has revealed that the travel industry’s fastest growing sector will post record profits and contribute an astonishing 14 percent of overall travel and tourism receipts by the end of the year.  At a time when most traditional tourism trends are in decline, Sport Tourism continues to flourish and is set to grow exponentially in the next decade.

(Good networking opportunities at WSDE Sport Tourism Expo)

WSDE Sport Tourism Expo presents a much-needed annual opportunity for the Sport Tourism industry to come together, not only to conduct lucrative future business deals and source new contacts and markets, but also to gain invaluable insights from the advanced knowledge of market leaders. WSDE Sport Tourism Expo is a vital event for those wishing to be part of the future of travel.

WDSE Sport Tourism Expo will take place in Bangkok, Thailand - Asia’s Sport Tourism Gateway - from 27-29 September 2011. Visit www.sporttourismexpo.com to find out more.