Global tourist shopping spend hits five-year low

Thursday, 21 August 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Spending on tax free shopping at leading destinations dropped for the first time since 2009 in the second quarter, with spending by Russians down sharply due to the fall in the rouble, according to a tourism shopping specialist. Between April and June total sales in France, Italy, Britain, Germany and Singapore – which together receive around three-quarters of total global spend by foreign customers – dropped 3% by value, according to data from duty free shopping group Global Blue. “The drops are not down to a reduction in tourist numbers, but a decrease in average spend per transaction,” Global Blue said in a statement on Thursday. Spending by Russians fell 18%, it said, with the impact from the weak rouble being exacerbated by effects of the crisis in Ukraine. Russians account for approximately 20% of all tax-free shopping worldwide, Global Blue said. The spend by Chinese shoppers, which accounted for around 27% of all tax free shopping in 2013 and therefore the most spend of any nation on tax-free shopping whilst abroad, rose just 9% in the quarter, compared with increases of between 30 and 50% over recent years. The worst hit destinations in the second quarter were France and Germany, with the total amount spent by foreigners on tax-free goods dropping 5.2% and 4.5%. Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt airport, said last week that its retail operations were suffering as the strong euro puts shoppers off buying luxury perfumes, cosmetics and clothes at the airport. – Reuters

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.