Games boosting interest from abroad
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are providing a significant boost to interest in the country from Asia, a survey has revealed.Around 80% of respondents from China and India are more likely to want to visit Britain in light of the publicity surrounding the Games, a survey by professional services firm Deloitte found.
And more than 60% said they would like to buy more British products, while 77% want to learn more about the UK as a whole.
The research also shows that 76% of respondents in China and India associate the Olympic Games with the UK, a higher proportion than consumers elsewhere in Europe or the US.
Only the UK's history, universities and its capital city, London, are attributes more closely associated with the UK in the minds of Chinese and Indian consumers, Deloitte said.
Nigel Wixcey, UK head of consumer business at Deloitte, said: "As the global population is evolving, so consumer spending power is shifting.
"The emerging middle classes of China and India are increasingly powerful consumers of Western goods - both as visiting tourists and increasingly as strong consumer markets develop in their home countries."
Compared to Europe and the US, the emerging middle classes of China and India are more likely to associate Britain with luxury brands, according to the survey.
This view reinforces the success British brands, such as Burberry, have had in building strong bonds with Asian consumers.
The impact of the publicity surrounding the Games has not been so pronounced in Europe and the US but even here, around half of consumers surveyed in France, Germany and the US said they are more interested in visiting Britain as a result of publicity surrounding the Games.
Nigel Wixcey, UK head of consumer business at Deloitte, said: "As the global population is evolving, so consumer spending power is shifting.
"The emerging middle classes of China and India are increasingly powerful consumers of Western goods - both as visiting tourists and increasingly as strong consumer markets develop in their home countries."
Compared to Europe and the US, the emerging middle classes of China and India are more likely to associate Britain with luxury brands, according to the survey.
This view reinforces the success British brands, such as Burberry, have had in building strong bonds with Asian consumers.
The impact of the publicity surrounding the Games has not been so pronounced in Europe and the US but even here, around half of consumers surveyed in France, Germany and the US said they are more interested in visiting Britain as a result of publicity surrounding the Games.
© 2013 Press Association