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Weak dollar makes the Big Apple a shopper's paradise for tourists

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New York

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Ever since graphic designer Milton Glaser created the now ubiquitous 'I love New York' logo in 1977, it has been easier to tell tourists from New Yorkers - the locals, no matter how proud they are about the city, are less likely to declare their feelings by wearing a T-shirt with the red heart.

But this winter, tourists are largely marked out by another sign - shopping bags, lots of them. 'Look, we come here for shopping,' said Spanish couple Sami and Julia. Sporting bags from Tiffany's and Saks, the excitement of a shopping kill sparkled in their eyes. 'There are so many bargains and we want to buy everything,' said Sami, adding that their shopping budget is Euro6,000 (HK$67,000).

The two are among the 1 million foreign tourists who are expected to spend their money in the Big Apple during the holiday season this year. The weak US dollar has made it a bargain-basement city, at least for Europeans.

The city is expected to host 8 million international visitors this year, a 7 per cent jump from last year. This is all the more remarkable because foreign tourists to the US have dropped 17 per cent since 2000, partly because of tighter visa controls after September 11, 2001. New York is the only major city in the US that is still seeing an increase in foreign visitors.

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'New York has become the number one destination of international travellers,' said Kimberly Spell, spokeswoman for NYC & Company, the city's tourism authority.

This is exactly what Mayor Mike Bloomberg has designed for the city. Two years ago, the mayor set a goal to attract 50 million visitors, including Americans, to the city annually by 2015.

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