Economic Conditions Not Dampening Attractiveness of United States as Destination for International TravelersBLOOMFIELD HILLS, M., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 50 percent of international shopping travelers surveyed who have visited the United States in the last 12 months are likely to come again over the next year.
That's good news for the U.S. economy according to a study commissioned by Taubman Centers and Shop America Alliance in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel & Tourism Industries.
New research on The International Shopping Traveler from the top five international inbound markets to the U.S. -- Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany and Japan, representing 75% of all inbound U.S. Travelers -- was conducted by Mandala Research via an online survey in January 2009.
Survey respondents in each country, 1760 in total, had visited the U.S. in the past 12 months and had shopped.Shopping, dining and cultural travel are among the top tourism activities in the U.S.
These activities are especially important to international travelers and continue to be so even in these challenging economic times.
"Travel and Tourism is an important economic contributor to the retail sector, as we see in our tourism shopping centers. The results from this study are positive for the U.S. travel and shopping industries and for the country overall," says Robert Taubman, (top right photo) Chairman, President and CEO of Taubman Centers, who also serves on the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board."The International Shopping Traveler study will help retailers, destinations and travel companies better understand and attract the shopping traveler," says Helen Marano, (top left photo) Director, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, U.S. Department of Commerce.
"This can go a long way in boosting tourism. Shopping certainly spurs visitation to and spending in destinations all across the United States, which, in turn, has a positive impact on the employment and economic health of those areas."
Highlights of The International Shopping Traveler study results include:
-- Nearly 20% of these travelers say they have already booked their next trip to the U.S. and an additional 50% are very likely to visit and shop in the next 12 months.
-- SHOPPING DRIVES TRAVEL. For a large number of travelers, shopping influences destination choice. 30% said it was a factor in their choice of destinations, while 23% said it was a key reason for the trip.
-- ECONOMIC IMPACT. These travelers allocated a sizeable portion of total trip spend to shopping activities, spending on average $1063 per person on shopping out of a total average of $3692 per total trip, per person. While spending varies by market, the percent of shopping spend reported in the total trip spend was an average of 29%, and as high as 40% with Mexican Shopping Travelers.
-- APPAREL LEADS. International shoppers most frequently purchased apparel. -- OTHER POPULAR CATEGORIES. Footwear (47%), food/candy (47%) souvenirs (47%), fashion accessories (39%) and cosmetics/beauty products (39%) were key categories purchased by the international shopping traveler.
-- SHOPPED FOR SELF AND FAMILY. 84% made purchases for themselves followed by spouse/significant other (68%) and children (44%).
-- BRAND SAVVY. Brand preferences* vary by inbound market.
The top 25 brands shopped for overall are:
1. Nike 2. Levis 3. Gap 4. Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger 5. Abercrombie & Fitch 6. Calvin Klein and Coach 7. Adidas, Gucci and Chanel 8. Sony, Armani, Banana Republic and Louis Vuitton 9. Apple, Prada and Victoria's Secret 10. Old Navy, Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, American Eagle, DKNY, Hugo Boss and Hollister
*Duplicate names on the same line indicate that the same percentage of International Shopping Travelers surveyed, selected those brands.
-- MOTIVATORS: VALUE & SELECTION. Good value and a wide selection of brands are most often cited as important elements of the shopping experience.
-- CULTURAL & HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS AND UNIQUE DINING ARE IMPORTANT.
It is clear that International shopping travelers are also cultural travelers--visiting historic sites (48%), museums/art exhibits (39%), concerts/theatres (36%), national parks (48%) and 27% report also shopping at Museum Stores. 42% reported seeking out unique dining experiences while visiting the U.S.
-- ONLINE TRAVEL. The vast majority of international travelers currently use online sites to plan and book their travel to the U.S.
-- WHERE THEY SHOP. Destination preferences* vary by inbound market.
The top 23 cities visited by international shopping travelers overall are: 1. New York, NY 2. Los Angeles, CA 3. Las Vegas, NV 4. Orlando, FL 5. San Francisco, CA 6. Honolulu, HI 7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL 8. Chicago, IL 9. San Diego, CA and Washington, DC 10. Houston, TX 11. Boston, MA and 12. Buffalo, NY 13. Atlanta, GA 14. Phoenix, AZ 15. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX and Seattle, WA 16. Tampa, FL 17. Philadelphia, PA 18. Detroit, MI 19. Fort Myers-Naples, FL 20. West Palm Beach, FL 21. Denver, CO 22. Portland, OR 23. Baltimore, MD
*Duplicate destinations on the same line indicate that the same percentage of International Shopping Travelers surveyed, selected those cities.
Facts & Figures from THE INTERNATIONAL SHOPPING TRAVELER study:
-- Top five inbound countries to the U.S.: Canada, Mexico, Japan, U.K. Germany -- 1760 respondents (approximately 350 per country; on-line study - January, 2009). -- Number of trips in the past 12 months: -- Mexico 4.4 -- Canada 3.1 -- U.K. 2.3 -- Germany 1.7 -- Japan 1.7 -
- Average trip expenditure is $3692; average spent on shopping is $1063 -- Mexican and Japanese travelers have higher mean shopping spend versus total ($1310 and $1200 respectively).
-- Nearly half of all international travelers in the five markets surveyed say that shopping was either a key reason for the trip or was a factor in their choice of destinations.
-- Good value and variety are most often cited as important elements of the shopping experience.
-- Apparel is the most frequently purchased item by international shoppers.
-- Footwear and food/candy (and souvenirs) are the second most frequently purchased categories; followed by beauty and accessories - both tied for third, followed by perfume, children's apparel and handbags.
-- Germans are most likely to stay the longest when traveling to the U.S. (15 - 21 days), followed by the British who stay up to 14 days.
-- Shopping accounts for a third of Canadian travelers' time when in the U.S., and is about nearly a third of their total trip expenditures.
-- 51% of Mexican travelers state that they used friends and family as a source of travel information.
-- Japanese and Germans said that shopping opportunities helped them choose between destinations.
For a copy of the Executive Summary, please visit ShopAmericaTours.com or contact Karen Mac Donald, kmacdonald@taubman.com.
Taubman Centers (NYSE:TCO) is a real estate investment trust engaged in the development and management of regional and super regional shopping centers. Taubman's 24 U.S. owned and/or managed properties, the most productive in the industry, serve major markets from coast to coast. Taubman Centers is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. For more information, visit http://www.taubmanworldclassshopping.com/.
Shop America Alliance LLC (SAA) represents 200 of the premier shopping tourism destinations, shopping centers, retailers and outlets in North America and 1600 museum stores. Founded in 1999, the organization serves as the travel and tourism industry's exclusive resource for Shopping Tourism information and partnership opportunities.
Rosemary McCormick, President of Shop America Alliance, serves on the Board of Directors/Executive Committee of US Travel Association and is the co-founder of the US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council LLC.
For more information on Shop America Alliance, visit www.ShopAmericaTours.com.
CONTACT: Karen MacDonald, Taubman Director, Communications,+1-248-258-7469, kmacdonald@taubman.com
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