中国游客引领英国圣诞购物大狂欢

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.

据英国《每日邮报》消息，根据一项最新报告，腰包鼓鼓的游客在圣诞前夕的购物狂欢可以拯救英国今年在国际消费上的“低迷”。

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

分析师预测中国和中东国家将引领圣诞购物大狂欢，中国游客仍是英国最大的消费群体。

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

报告指出，同旅游购物圣地伦敦一样，利物浦、曼彻斯特和爱丁堡现今正成为国际圣诞购物目的地。

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.

旅游购物退税公司环球蓝联（Global Blue）预测，就英国的国际消费而言，2014年最后一个季度将提振英国今年低迷的国际消费。

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.

英国旅游局的数据显示，今年第四季度的游客数量迎来五年中的最大增长。据环球蓝联报告，在2013年的最后一个季度，飞增的消费同比增长了16个百分点。

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个月的数据表明，中国和中东国家仍然是最强劲的高消费群。中国占总消费的25%，相比去年增长了5%；科威特占8%，沙特阿拉伯占7%，卡塔尔占6%。

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

然而，由于乌克兰的政治动荡，俄罗斯游客今年在英国的消费目前下降了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，由于游客在英国为家人朋友蜂拥抢购在家买不到的礼物，花费预计将在圣诞前夕有所上升。

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

环球蓝联英国国家经理戈登·克拉克（Gordon Clark）说：“对即将来到英国的国际消费者，圣诞节是一个关键时期。”

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

“去年整体销售都很强劲，所有国家都报告了不俗的消费增长。”

'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.

“政治动荡和货币疲软影响了一些国家的购物者，特别是泰国和俄罗斯的游客今年不太可能在英国消费。所以零售商都将服务聚焦于传统的中国和中东市场，这些地区继续为销售做出最大贡献。”

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

“对零售商而言，免税购物从未像现在这样，已经成为圣诞节促销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.

英国旅游局国际市场战略总监叶佩茜（Patricia Yates）补充道：“伦敦是国际圣诞购物目的地，但我们目前的数据显示，一些例如利物浦、曼彻斯特和爱丁堡的大城市正异军突起，开始成为强大的圣诞购物替代城市。”

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

“去年，英格兰西北部地区是最受国际购物者欢迎的第二大目的地。”

'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.

“购物是一个收益颇丰的行业。去年同期，出手阔绰的卡塔尔人每次在英国的花费为惊人的5077英镑，是市场平均水平的八倍。所以，我们不断调整海外市场以从这样的地区带回最大的收益。”

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

“不论什么样的价格区间或产品，购物可以使旅游的经济效益传遍全国。”

（翻译：guanxiaoqi  编辑：Julie）