By ROB COOPER
Last updated at 10:53 AM on 26th July 2011
British shops are cashing in on the burkha ban in France because wealthy Middle Eastern shoppers are avoiding Paris.
London retailers have benefited from a tourism boom after Nicolas Sarkozy's government banned the headscarf in April.
Liberty, the West End store, has seen a 45 per cent surge in the number of international visitors - while Selfidges has seen a 40 per cent rise.
Middle Eastern shoppes are flocking to Britain after the French banned the burkha in April
Middle Eastern shoppers say they feel 'more welcome' in Britain than in France, where anyone wearing a burkha in public risks a €150 fine.
Tourists from the region spend an average of £1,800 in a shopping trip - in contrast the average British person parts with just £120.
The second-half of July is expected to be the busiest period of the year for Middle Eastern tourists because it is the pre-Ramadan fasting period. Sales are expected to top £200million.
The Olympics next year and the weakness of the pound have also helped to boost stores.
Jace Tyrell, from promoters New West End Company, said the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the Middle East were 'critical' to high-end West End stores.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018797/Burkha-ban-France-boosts-London-shops-Middle-Eastern-tourists-flock-Britain.html#ixzz1TIYQ1Adr
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