Hile some of their fellow countrymen, satiated with the charms of Singapore, London and Dubai, are out hunting for exotic destinations, for a lot of Indians these still rank as shoppers’ paradise. So much so, that we have emerged among the biggest spenders abroad. The liberalisation of the Indian economy has stacked Indian stores full of imported goods, but the attraction of picking up a foreign label from shelves overseas has not faded. And the big tourist magnets? Annual sales with unbelievable discounts, advertised liberally here. ‘‘Indians have emerged as the biggest shoppers in Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, London and Switzerland,’’ says Subhash Goyal, chairman and managing director of Stic Travels. As per trade estimates, on an average, Indians spend between $2,500 to $3,000 in Europe while holidaying. Even an expensive city like London is highly popular among desi shoppers. ‘‘According to latest figures, an average Indian spends around £800 per trip in Britain which has gone up by 20-25 per cent in the last two-three years,” says country manager of British Tourist Authority (BTA), Prem Subramaniam. “Shopping consists nearly 25 per cent of it and considering the increase in the value of pound, this growth is quite substantial.’’ In 2002, almost two lakh Indians visited Britain and spent approximately £140 million. However, London still trails Singapore when it comes to the number of visitors. Keeping the travel cost and time in mind, it is the most favourite outbound destination for Indians, says Goyal. According to Singapore Tourism Promotion Board (STPB), a record number of nearly 3.7 lakh Indians visited Singapore in 2002 compared to 3.4 lakh visitors in 2001. Says an official, ‘‘In terms of visitor expenditure, India has consistently been in the lead with an average per capita expenditure of Singapore $1,574 as against that of an average visitor of Singapore $639 in 2000. Overall, Indian visitors spent an estimated $545 million in 2000, almost twice the amount of what they spent in 1995.’’ Thailand has also emerged as a major tourist destination for Indians. The number of Indian tourists here has gone up by 23.6 per cent, from 2.1 lakh in 2001 to 2.3 lakh between January and November in 2002. Dubai is an old favourite among the Indian middle class for shopping. The number of Indians visiting Dubai has gone up by 25.5 per cent from 2.17 lakh in 2001 to 2.2 lakh during January to September, 2002.
