While visitors might be flocking to Dubai on mid to short haul stays, travellers from the GCC countries clocked up a whopping Dh5.4 billion ($1.47 billion) on shopping in the UK in 2007. Figures for August this year revealed an average of Dh18,000 per person, according to the Global Refund Index industry report.
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait were the leading markets in terms of individual visitor spend in the UK, according to the report.
The average Saudi spent $1,800 on shopping alone during a two week stay in the UK in 2007, latest figures reveal, and this did not include other expenses such as hotel accommodation and food.
GCC visitors had the highest retail spend in the UK in August 2008, purchasing an average of nearly Dh18,000 worth of goods, a 74 percent increase compared to August 2007, with a significant amount spent on luxury items, it added.
“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 calibre of shopping options offered in the UK, injecting a significant amount of capital into our tourism economy,” Carol Maddison, marketing manager, VisitBritain UAE said in a statement. Last year, Britain welcomed a total of 514,000 travellers from the Middle East, according to International Passenger Survey Statistics 2007.
There is a curious new concept on offer in the Seven Dials, Covent Garden area in London: visitors can order a “Bag Boy” to help them with all their shopping requests. Offering an exclusive free service of your own personal attendant, a “Bag Boy” will help with shoppers bags, they will also open doors, call cabs, and guide guests around the seven streets of Seven Dials. This companion also comes with an intimate knowledge of the area and everything it has to offer. “Bag Boys” can be booked by the hour on www.sevendials.co.uk.