Dubai: The recession may have UK consumers looking after the pennies, but the same cannot be said for visitors from China and the Middle East.
Arab shoppers are expected to blow Dh1.3 billion in London's West End this summer, as much as ten times per person more than British consumers would spend in one trip.
The figure amounts to $1,800 (Dh6,610) per person, $500 more than the average shopper from China and a long way from the paltry $120 a Brit splashes out on a normal trip to Bond Street, Regent Street or Oxford Street.
The Middle East is one of London's highest spending visitor markets, having grown by 20 per cent in the last five years. The current leaders are the UAE and Saudi Arabia, although visitors from Kuwait, Qatar and Iran are also growing.
"International visitors are key to the ongoing West End recovery and success of London's economy," explained Jace Tyrell, director of the New West End Company, which represents West End retailers.
"The Middle East and particularly visitors from the UAE are one of our most important inbound shopper markets. It is encouraging that the number of international shoppers is set to grow by around 15 per cent this year," he said.
Tyrell said that the New West End Group had spent the last two years researching key markets including the Middle Eastern visitor, drawing up specific packages for Arab visitors.
In order to attract a younger crowd, a new package offers top hotels, personalised fittings with leading designers and days out at the F1 races.
"They can get a private appointment and made to measure clothes at Ralph Lauren, they get to drive around in an F1 sportscar, meet race drivers, as well as a private butler and a suite in one of Park Lane's finest hotels," Tyrell told Gulf News at the Arabian Travel Market.
He added that the company remains keen to attract royals to its clientele.
"We know that when someone from the royal family comes and stays in a particular hotel, the rest of the clients from that country come and want to stay in the same hotel," he said.
Another key market for the company is the growing number of Chinese tourists who want to come to London to take advantage of prices that are often 30 per cent lower than at home. That said, unlike those from the GCC, Chinese visitors have significant problems getting visas.
Indeed, the company estimates that it loses some £160 million (Dh969 million) in potential revenue due to the difficulty of British visa regulations for the Chinese.
"The Midle East is much easier than China. The UK government have really worked hard and opened up the process. The new government is really keen on tourism. They think it will drive the economy," he said.
The increasing presence of high-end luxury shops in the UAE does not deter shoppers either, Tyrell said. Not only are designer brands more expensive in Dubai than in the West End, but there is a status attached to luxury goods bought in London.
