Big spenders

It is not hard to see why Britain is keen to get more Gulf nationals onto its shores. In 2012, according to the national tourism agency VisitBritain, the UK had just over half a million visitors from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states, who spent a total of £1.2bn ($1.9bn), and in the past five years, the total number of GCC visits and spend have increased by 17% and 58% respectively. The average spend per visit by Gulf visitors is massively higher than that of other international visitors – around £2,124 ($3,417) in 2012, compared to a global average of just £600.