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Dubai: Travellers from the GCC region are the biggest spenders among visitors to Britain, splurging a total of Dh5.4 billion on shopping sprees in 2007 alone, according to the Global Refund Index report.
With its extensive range of high-end department stores and other popular shopping spots, the UK has long been a favourite destination for shoppers from the GCC. Last year, the country received a total of 514,000 visitors from the Middle East.
A spokesperson for Visit Britain tourism promotion agency said a visitor from the GCC spends about Dh17,500 on average. This is more than five times higher than the international average of Dh3,208. Based on last month's statistics, the average spend is 74 per cent higher than last year.
Carol Maddison, the marketing manager at Visit Britain GCC, said they are optimistic that Middle East money will keep flowing into their shopping districts as the region remains relatively unaffected by the global financial turmoil and continues to enjoy unprecedented growth.
Continued increase
"As a result, we expect to see a continued increase in spending from this important market.
"We have also found that GCC visitors are very loyal, often repeating their visits to the UK annually, therefore the region will continue to play an important role in the UK's overall tourism growth strategy in 2009 and beyond," Maddison told Gulf News.
GCC visitors spend most of their money at UK department stores and indulge in luxury items, particularly fashion and clothing, as well as travel accessories.
"Shopping is an essential element of the UK's tourism offering, and we have found that Gulf travellers in particular appreciate and enjoy the high caliber of shopping options offered in the UK, injecting a significant amount of capital into our tourism economy," Maddison added.
People from Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the big spenders from the GCC.
The other leading spenders on holiday in the UK are travellers from Nigeria, Russia and China.
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