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Monday 22 August 2016 4:00 am

The weaker pound sent Chinese and US tourists on a spending spree in the UK last month

By: Francesca Washtell

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The UK's purse received a boost from tourist spending in the month following the referendum, as visitors from made the most of the weaker pound. 

International tax free shopping spending rose seven per cent overall in July, according to retail tourism experts Global Blue. 

Travellers from the US increased their tax free shopping by 22 per cent and accounted for seven per cent of July’s total tourist spend, shelling out an average of £734 per person.

Read more: Has the Brexit vote put European tourists off visiting London?

This was behind only China, whose visitors account for 32 per cent of the total yield. Chinese tourists’ average spend by six per cent, to £840 per person.

Sterling has fallen 18 per cent on a trade-weighted basis since last November and is down 14 per cent since the Brexit vote in June.

More than four in 10 Americans have said they are more likely to visit the UK for a holiday as the dip in sterling continues to favour the dollar, according to research from Hotels.com. 

Read more: Here's how many billions tourists spend in London every year

"Though the weaker pound following the referendum was initially unwelcome news, it has proved perfect timing for tourists visiting the UK; enjoying British leisure, luxury and cultural offerings during the summer season," said Gordon Clark, managing director for the UK and Ireland at Global Blue. 

"The cash injection we have seen off the back of this has been hugely beneficial for our tourism economy.

"As the pound still fluctuates, we hope the flurry of tourist activity to the UK has inspired others to follow suit and visit and shop in the UK, where they can see a large discount from exchange rate benefits, but also from tax free shopping."

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