中國遊客引領英國聖誕購物大狂歡

A pre-Christmas splurge by rich tourists could save what has been a 'suffering' year for international spending in Britain, according to a new report.

據英國《每日郵報》消息，根據一項最新報告，腰包鼓鼓的遊客在聖誕前夕的購物狂歡可以拯救英國今年在國際消費上的“低迷”。

Analysts forecast China and Middle Eastern nations to lead the Christmas shopping spree with Chinese tourists still the biggest spenders in Britain.

分析師預測中國和中東國家將引領聖誕購物大狂歡，中國遊客仍是英國最大的消費羣體。

Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh are now becoming international Christmas shopping destinations as well as tourist mecca London, according to the report.

報告指出，同旅遊購物聖地倫敦一樣，利物浦、曼徹斯特和愛丁堡現今正成爲國際聖誕購物目的地。

Tourism shopping tax refund firm Global Blue is predicting that the final quarter of 2014 will boost what has been a slow year in terms of international spend in Britain.

旅遊購物退稅公司環球藍聯（Global Blue）預測，就英國的國際消費而言，2014年最後一個季度將提振英國今年低迷的國際消費。

VisitBritain's figures show visitor numbers have seen the biggest growth in the fourth quarter over the last five years, while Global Blue reported soaring growth in spending of 16 per cent year-on-year for the final quarter of 2013.

英國旅遊局的數據顯示，今年第四季度的遊客數量迎來五年中的最大增長。據環球藍聯報告，在2013年的最後一個季度，飛增的消費同比增長了16個百分點。

Figures for the first 10 months of this year show China and Middle Eastern nations have remained strong as the highest spenders, with China representing 25 per cent of total spend, a five per increase on the previous year, followed by Kuwait (eight per cent), Saudi Arabia (seven per cent) and Qatar (six per cent).

本年度前10個月的數據表明，中國和中東國家仍然是最強勁的高消費羣。中國佔總消費的25%，相比去年增長了5%；科威特佔8%，沙特阿拉伯佔7%，卡塔爾佔6%。

However, spending by Russian tourists in Britain is down 26 per cent so far this year amid political unrest in UKraine.

然而，由於烏克蘭的政治動盪，俄羅斯遊客今年在英國的消費目前下降了26%。

However, spending is expected to rise in the run-up to Christmas as tourists flock to snap up British gifts for family and friends that they can't get at home.

然而，由於遊客在英國爲家人朋友蜂擁搶購在家買不到的禮物，花費預計將在聖誕前夕有所上升。

Gordon Clark, UK country manager of Global Blue, said: 'Christmas is one of the key periods for international shoppers coming to the UK.

環球藍聯英國國家經理戈登·克拉克（Gordon Clark）說：“對即將來到英國的國際消費者，聖誕節是一個關鍵時期。”

'Last year saw strong sales across the board, with all nations reporting significant growth.

“去年整體銷售都很強勁，所有國家都報告了不俗的消費增長。”

'Political turmoil and weakened currencies have left shoppers from some nations, particularly Thailand and Russia, less likely to spend in the UK this year, so retailers are focusing their services on targeting the traditional Chinese and Middle Eastern markets who have continued to contribute most significantly to sales.

“政治動盪和貨幣疲軟影響了一些國家的購物者，特別是泰國和俄羅斯的遊客今年不太可能在英國消費。所以零售商都將服務聚焦於傳統的中國和中東市場，這些地區繼續爲銷售做出最大貢獻。”

'Tax free shopping, more than ever, has become an integral part of the Christmas strategy for retailers.'

“對零售商而言，免稅購物從未像現在這樣，已經成爲聖誕節促銷手段必不可少的一部分。”

Patricia Yates, director of strategy and communications at VisitBritain, added: 'London is an international Christmas shopping destination, but our numbers now show that major cities such as Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh are starting to emerge as strong alternatives.

英國旅遊局國際市場戰略總監葉佩茜（Patricia Yates）補充道：“倫敦是國際聖誕購物目的地，但我們目前的數據顯示，一些例如利物浦、曼徹斯特和愛丁堡的大城市正異軍突起，開始成爲強大的聖誕購物替代城市。”

'Last year the North West of England was the second most popular destination for international shoppers.

“去年，英格蘭西北部地區是最受國際購物者歡迎的第二大目的地。”

'Shopping is a lucrative business. High spending Qataris contributed an astonishing £5,077 per visit across Britain during the same period last year, that's eight times the market average, so we continually look to tailor our overseas marketing to bring us the highest returns from such regions.

“購物是一個收益頗豐的行業。去年同期，出手闊綽的卡塔爾人每次在英國的花費爲驚人的5077英鎊，是市場平均水平的八倍。所以，我們不斷調整海外市場以從這樣的地區帶回最大的收益。”

'Whatever the price range or product, shopping allows the economic benefits of tourism to be spread across the whole country.'

“不論什麼樣的價格區間或產品，購物可以使旅遊的經濟效益傳遍全國。”