With this year’s London Fashion Week yet again receiving international acclaim, research released today by VisitBritain shows that Britain can also be among the world’s most sought-after destinations with regards to international shoppers.
Findings by the national tourism agency estimate that 18 million foreign visitors spent a till busting £4.5 billion in Britain’s shops(1), meaning 25 per cent of all expenditure by overseas visitors is at the UK’s high streets and within the country’s impressive range of shops.
The VisitBritain survey reveals that almost all of the shopping spend was on clothes, with an estimated £2.3 billion generated by fashion-conscious foreign tourists. Many visitors also bought souvenirs, gifts and household goods, accounting for around £1.6 billion.
Further analysis of the research found that a ‘shopping’ tourist spends more – a median of £680 per trip – than an ‘ordinary’ overseas tourist who typically spends £580.
The survey also shows London’s world-class shops, stores and markets are an important attraction for foreign visitors. Around 81 per cent of holiday visitors to London went shopping. The regional benefits also are clear, with between two thirds and 3 quarters of holiday visitors shopping around the UK.
Of the 18 million visitors, the French are our most prolific shoppers with over two million trips, followed closely by 1.63 million Germans, 1.63 million Americans, 1.3 million Irish and 1.1 million Spanish. The Dutch, Australians, Italians, Belgians and Swedes complete the highest ten. Of those, it’s the Australians who’ve the very best propensity to head shopping (over three quarters of all Australian visitors).(2)
Looking further on the findings, the emerging BRIC markets also rank highly relating to propensity to buy, with Brazilians (73%), Russians (68%) and Chinese (65%) all having a far better than average appetite for shopping. Indians are about average, with 58 per cent inclined to head shopping.
Breaking down shopping visitors by spend tells a good more interesting story, with tourists from the Gulf States (£442 per head), Nigeria (£432) and China (£405) leading the best way. Russians were just out of the head three, spending £362 on average. Brazilians came lower down the table at just £273 a trip – a somewhat surprising finding when contemplating their high propensity to buy.(3)
It may come as no surprise however that almost 70 per cent of female visitors made sure they included a place of retail therapy during a visit to the united kingdom. Male shopping figures were also quite high at 50 per cent.
VisitBritain also looked into how recent holiday visitors rated Britain for expense and worth for money. Results revealed that shopping in Britain was rated above France and kind of like Italy when it comes to value.(4) Those from long haul markets were especially positive in regards to the value for money of shopping in London in comparison to Paris.
Additional analysis of respondents from 19 countries found ‘Shopping in Harrods’ was chosen as a top activity by almost one in five respondents (19%) when asked to choose their top three ‘only in Britain’ dream holiday activities. This was a more popular choice than visiting Harry Potter locations and taking within the theatre.
Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive at VisitBritain said: “Shopping in Britain is seen around the globe as a good and inviting experience, and one of many things VisitBritain promotes to encourage visitors. It’s not only purchasing designer goods at Harrods, or rubbing shoulders with the wealthy and famous on Chelsea’s King’s Road that lures visitors to the united kingdom – a big number also make the trip to find bargains, whether it’s finding the smartest deals on designer goods at Bicester Village and the McArthurGlen Stores, or hitting the high street in Edinburgh or Manchester.
“Our shopping experience is world class, with advantageous, desirable British brands enticing international visitors always of the year and providing real value for money against our competitors.”
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