Middle Eastern visitors ranked as the top hotel spenders in UK
MIDDLE Eastern visitors spend more on their stay in the UK than tourists from any other countries, forking out almost 60 per cent more per night on a room than the average rate.
Figures released yesterday by the website Hotels.com showed that tourists from countries in the Middle East upped their spending on hotel room per night by eight per cent to £180 in the first half of 2013. Brazil and Mexico tied for second in the list of top spenders in the UK, splashing out £141 per night each, with Argentina not far behind at £136. This compares with the average national rate of £103.
While hotel bills rose for travellers from 31 of the 39 countries in the report, Japan fell from third to 12th place on the top spenders table, shelling out nine per cent less on hotel prices.
Growth from US tourists slowed to two per cent to £135 per cent and the country was overtaken in the league table by Argentina.
Laura Watts of Hotels.com said: “It’s positive to see that the majority of our visiting nations are spending more than before to visit the UK, with Middle Eastern visitors once again having the most expensive tastes. With average prices paid only dropping slightly in a handful of nations, continued high spending is good news for the UK hotel industry.”