Tourist spending down by third as wealthy overseas visitors shun UK over ... trends now
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Wealthy overseas shoppers are shunning Britain as a result of a ‘tourist tax’ imposed by Rishi Sunak when he was Chancellor, latest figures have revealed.
Following the now Prime Minister’s decision in 2020 to scrap VAT-free purchases for tourists – which allows them to claim back 20 per cent of the price of goods – they are instead flocking to other European cities.
It means that tourist spending in Britain has reached only two-thirds of its pre-pandemic level, according to research by Global Blue, a company that specialises in providing VAT refunds.
Italy and Spain are much closer to seeing a return to 2019 levels of tourist spending, while in France they are already spending more.
Paul Barnes, head of the
