Chinese Golden Week 2016: Liverpool Shops Prepare for China's Biggest Public Holiday
Liverpool among many cities Chinese citizens travel to on week off - with stores seeing massive difference in sales each year.
Liverpool's Chinatown all set for the Chinese New Year celebrations and Year
of the Monkey.
Liverpool shops are preparing for an influx of tourists next week, as Chinese Golden Week gets underway.
Chinese Golden Week is the biggest week for tourism out of China, as the entire country enters a week-long public holiday. And, while Chinese New Year is traditionally seen as the biggest shopping day for Chinese tourists in the UK, Golden Week is quickly catching up.
Liverpool is one of many cities worldwide which Chinese tourists choose to travel to each year on their week off, with the World Population Review stating that Liverpool has the oldest Chinese community in all of Europe.
When is Chinese Golden Week?
The Golden Week originates from October 1, 1949 when the People's Republic of China was inaugurated. An official victory celebration and ceremony was held in Tian’anmen Square. Mao Zedong raised the first Communist national flag of China in person amid 300,000 soldiers and other people who were gathered at the square.
The UK currency sterling is currently weak and that means Chinese tourists will get more for their money when shopping in Liverpool.
What does this mean for Chinese tourists shopping in Liverpool?
Following the Brexit vote , record numbers of Chinese tourists are expected to be entering the UK to make the most of the weak pound, where they can also enjoy VAT tax returns on their purchases for even more discounts.
Liverpool stores annually have a raise in sales also around Chinese New Year, and this year sales are said to increase even more for Chinese Golden Week than the New Year celebrations in February.
According to Global Blue, an international shopping service: "While the Chinese New Year break in February is more significant for spending time with family and travelling within China, the Golden Week holiday (from 1 October to 7 October this year) is when Chinese globe shoppers focus on overseas travel and associated spending sprees."
Many leading brands and high end fashion chains prepare for the flux of shoppers in this period, bouyed by tourism brought in by the likes of The Beatles and the city's football clubs.
Liverpool high-end stores such as Flannels , Tessuti , Cath Kidston and Radley are popular with tourists looking for high-end goods.
In London, chain store The Body Shop has added digital payment service Alipay, used by over 500 million Chinese shoppers, to its sales points. However, the Liverpool store has not yet launched an Alipay service in time for Chinese Golden Week.
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