One of my lasting images of the Beijing Olympics is not of Usain Bolt winning the 100 metres, nor of Michael Phelps winning his eighth gold medal, but of our Boris.

After being handed the Olympic flag he tormented the nation by precariously waving it in such a way that it all might end in tears. It didn’t, and that symbolic handover shifted that rare and much coveted Olympic limelight to London – giving us the responsibility to entertain the world in the summer of 2012.

Thanks to the incredible work of Seb Coe and his team, plans for sporting events are on or ahead of schedule. But with the international spotlight not just on sport, but on Britain, its people, its culture and heritage, this is a once-in-a-generation marketing opportunity to promote our country in a way we have never done before.

This is why I organised an Olympic tourism roundtable meeting in Parliament last week. It brought together former Olympic athlete and now London Olympic Committee member Jonathan Edwards, plus representatives from Visit London, VisitEngland and VisitBritain. The discussion centred around ways members of the tourism industry as well as local council representatives from across the country could get involved in this terrific event.

For example, there is nothing to stop Bournemouth inviting beach volleyball teams to train on its beaches in the run-up to the games, or Bolton assembling deckchairs in their town square in front of a large screen to beam those same BBC images already earmarked for the big screen in Regent’s Park, or Bath placing an irresistible bid to LOCOG to be included in the Olympic torch relay.

With less than 900 days to go before Boris waves that flag again (granted, there is a general election in between!) councils, hospitality and tourism organisations, even MPs and PPCs, need to start making plans soon if the full tourism potential of these games is to be realised.

It is clear the 2012 Olympics are not just for London but the whole country – but only if we all seize the initiative.