While 16% of tourists who come to Paris quote shopping as a key reason to visit -with a higher share amongst Asian guests-, 47% of visitors said that they actually went shopping during their stay in the capital. This is what the study by the Office of Tourism and Congrès de Paris, in partnership with the CCI of Paris, the City of Paris, and Atout France, reveals. This figure rises to 53% for foreign clientele, with the Middle East at the top of the list (74%), Mexicans (61%), Japanese (61%) and Chinese (60%), against 27% for French tourists.In terms of spending, the study reveals that tourists in Paris spend on average 26 euro per day and per person on shopping, 18% out of an average global budget of 142 euro per day. While they only represent 1% of the French capital's hotel attendance, the Chinese spend the most with a daily average of 59 euro out of an average daily budget of 173 euro, closely followed by the Japanese who spend 56 euro per day on average out of a budget of 195 euro. Russians are in third place of the clients who spend most on shopping, followed by Middle-Eastern and Brazilian visitors. To be noted, three of the BRIC nations are in the Top 5, while India is in 10th place.Proximity markets (France and Europe) spend less on average than visitors from distant destinations, 27 euro per day by the Swiss, 14 euro by the British, and 10 euro by the French. However, these tourists do not count for less in the overall balance, as they are more numerous and visit more often.While they represent 45% of Parisian hotel attendance, business travelers spend less on shopping, with an average of 16 euro per person.Selling tourists Paris' shopping experienceAt the end of their stay, 92% of tourists say that they are satisfied by the diversity of the Parisian shopping supply. Indeed, in 2011 the capital hosted 61,232 shops and commercial services, including 22,284 non-food boutiques (36.4%), and the highest density of shops in France with 76.5 shops per 10,000 inhabitants. Paris thus wants to communicate on its shopping offer and boost tourists' travel spending, especially over the winter sales period which is traditionally less busy.
