The United Kingdom has become one of the most popular travel destinations for Middle East tourists. As a result, visitors from the region have started to spend more the European country. In fact, two separate studies have recently dubbed Middle East international travellers as Britain’s most avid shoppers.
According to a report by VisitBritain, Middle East travellers are UK’s biggest spenders. Kuwait and Qatar lead the way by annually contributing around $6,600 and $5,000 to the country’s economy, respectively. In contrast, even though the French make the most frequent visits to the United Kingdom, they spend less than $570 a year on the average.
However, travellers from the Middle East are not interested in spending their money on everything they find in the UK. They prefer to buy mainly clothes and shoes, personal accessories, bags, cosmetics and toiletries. What they avoid are British food and drinks. In comparison, Japanese, Belgian and French tourism spend the most namely on products from this category.
Still, visitors from the United Arab Emirates exhibit a more versatile taste in shopping. Unlike other tourists from the Middle East, UAE travellers in the UK also invest a considerable amount of money in electronics, games and toys, as well as books and stationary.
Another research published by the United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics, paints a similar picture. The study also informs that Middle East visitors are the biggest shoppers in the UK. It explains that over the last few years, tourist from that region have increased their spending in the country. Moreover, they even managed to surpass visitors from North America and Europe which traditionally occupied the first two spots.
The United Arab Emirates is the ME nation that spends the most in the United Kingdom. According to the Office of National Statistics, this group of visitors spends about $258 a day. They are followed by Egyptians with $248 a day and Nigerians $237.
UK’s biggest spenders:
- United Arab Emirates
- Egypt
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Denmark
- Hong Kong
- Russia
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Brazil
Any explanation as to why people from the Middle East prefer to travel to the UK than anywhere else? There must be some sort of connection that goes beyond the people, the place, etc.