Several hotels in the United Kingdom are trying hard to attract Middle Eastern travelers during the slow winter season. The number of UAE visitors to the United Kingdom increased 14 percent this year and experts predict this growth will continue. There was a 50 percent increase in holiday travel during the first half 2009 compared to the same period last year. Luxury hotels are hoping to attract high spending regional travelers to London with Christmas festivities and mid-winter sales that make shopper much cheaper than in Dubai.
This month’s PriceRunner International Price Comparison report has helped the campaign. The report announced that London dropped from its position as second most expensive city in the world in 2007 – to 20th this year. Twenty six products in thirty three different countries around the world were studied in the PriceRunner report. Oslo was ranked the most expensive city in the world for the third consecutive year, and London was more affordable than Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.