Britain stores pull out the stops to attract Chinese shoppers

With their shelves spilling over with festive goodies, department stores in London are working hard to attract Christmas shoppers - but Chinese visitors are the particular target of a charm offensive.

Hotels, retailers and the government are stepping up efforts to woo big-spending Chinese visitors in a bid to bounce back from Britain's longest recession in half a century.

Congee and dumplings are on the breakfast menu at enterprising hotels, major London stores have installed Chinese bank card terminals, and Putonghua-speaking staff are on hand to help out with the Christmas shopping. Britain is courting Chinese travellers not only because they are a rapidly growing market - they made an estimated 70 million overseas trips last year, up 20 percent in just a year - but because they are serious shoppers.

"My goodness, they spend," said Patricia Yates, director of strategy for the VisitBritain tourism authority. "The average Chinese visitor spends about three times as much - £1,600 (HK$20,000) - as the average visitor to Britain. So they're very welcome by the retail industry at the moment, who have seen domestic demand soften."

Purveyors of luxury goods in particular have welcomed affluent Chinese visitors with open arms. The renowned Harrods department store, in London's exclusive Knightsbridge district, now has 70 Mandarin-speaking staff and more than 100 China Union Pay terminals allowing direct payment from Chinese bank accounts.

A Harrods spokeswoman said jewellery and watches, fashion and fine wines were top of the shopping list for many Chinese customers. "They seek out the very latest, limited edition and exclusive products," she said.