Caterer and Hotelkeeper – 30935
BTA listsbig spenders
VISITORS to the UK from Argentina, Norway and Japan are the highest spenders per day, according to guides to overseas marketing opportunities published by the British Tourist Authority (BTA).
The guides show US, German and Irish visitors spend the highest throughout the year, primarily because of the number of visits they make.
The French, though, are relatively thrifty. Over the course of the last year they spent twice as long in the UK as the Irish, but spent only the same amount of money.
The guides are intended to help the UK tourist industry market itself abroad. According to the BTA, they have been published in their most comprehensive form ever, covering 40 countries in 26 guides.
They suggest city centre hotels should target visitors from Hong Kong, who do not like to walk for more than 10 minutes. Country properties, on the other hand, should aim for New Zealanders, who enjoy waterways and walking.
Publication of the guides coincides with figures showing the number of overseas visitors to the UK continuing to rise.
Numbers rose by 6% for the six months to April compared with the same period last year. Spending rose to an all-time high of £2.3b, up 1% on the same period last year.
An order form for the marketing guides is included in BTA Marketing Opportunities 1994-95, which is available free from Department D, BTA, Thames Tower, Black's Road, London W6 9EL.
Grafton centre
THE Grafton Centre in Cambridge is being refurbished to create a new food court, due to be completed by April next year.
The court will consist of three fast food kiosks and a combined café and restaurant, with overall seating for 350 people. A further 60-seat café is being built in Eden Hall, also within the centre.
Owners Grosvenor Estate Holdings and Mercury Asset Management expect to let the units to several operators.
