British Tourists Find Home Comforts Abroad
Spending a week or two abroad on a holiday is something many families look forward
to throughout the year, and a break from the norm can help adults recharge their batteries while children discover somewhere new, or re-visit somewhere that has happy memories from the year before.
Relaxing, exploring, good weather, the beach and time as a family are some of the benefits of a holiday in popular destinations such as Tenerife, Lanzarote, France, Portugal and mainland Spain for many Europeans.
But there is another benefit of the family holiday - experiencing a different culture and language that can help younger members of the family discover that there is a different world from their homeland, and often it can help them to appreciate differences in culture that can be enjoyed, and for the diversity of different countries to be understood.
But is this being underminded for British families by the expansion of retail chains that are on every High Street back home opening up abroad?
For years now British, German and Irish bars and restaurants means a family can visit the popular holiday destinations such as Majorca, Lanzarote, Tenerife, the Costa del Sol, etc. but not experience the local food, which is by its nature fresher than the imported and often tinned food from back home that are served up by the expat catering businesses - and as anyone who has eaten in such establishments it's really pot luck whether the chef has any training or expertise at all, compared to the restaurants owned and operated by locals.
British run establishments more often than not proclaim that an 'All day English breakfast' is available for customers, lunch time menus invariably offer something - anything - with chips, while in the evening fast food outlets known around the world offer their wares, competing against fish and chops, curries and pizzas. Finding a restaurant that offers local delicacies can be a challenge in itself for those tourists who do want to see what the local cuisine is like.
Now there is an expanding threat to the tourist who might discover a different culture during their holiday. After a few hours by the pool and enjoying the glorious weather in Lanzarote or other places they will often want to do some shopping to see what is available locally.
One of the plus sides of the tourism industry is that it allows local people to run businesses, and this gives a boost to the local economy - but this is being underminded by more UK retailers opening branches abroad, with the local businesses losing out as some tourists will prefer the familiar to doing something different and buy in the UK store abroad, and for the tourist it will mean missing out on locally produced goods and services that can be part of the holiday abroad experience.
The Costa del Sol is a good example of a tourist destination where British visitors bypass local shops, by driving or taking a coach trip to Gibraltar where they can buy duty free cigarettes and alcohol in a British supermarket, and often spend a few hours there buying the food and drink they are used to back home to take back to their villa, apartment or hotel.
Visit the Canary Islands of Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife and it's a similar story. Holidaymakers in Tenerife for example have the choice of locally run businesses, international stores like Ikea, and British visitors will recognise the supermarket Iceland, while for clothes there is C&A plus Marks and Spencer.
And there's no escape from the British retail giants during a short break to Paris - Marks and Spencer have just opened a three floor 1000m2 store on the Champs Elysees with five smaller shops selling just food called as they are in the UK 'Simply Food' close to five main transport hubs around the French capital.
They have tried before in Paris but ten years ago closed their Paris operation, much to the anguish of Parisians. Ironically in the country that gave the world haute cuisine and is well known for their long lunch breaks, they are seen as a shop of quality and their customers are more likely to be French than British. paris blogs and internet sites welcomed the news that Marks And Spencer were returning. Originally their plan was to just sell clothing and goods for the home, but a campaign in France asking M&S to include food was successful.
As well as their flagship store on the Champs Elysees M&S have embraced home delivery and have also launched a French language internet site, that accepts Euros of course, and customers throughout France and Monaco will be able to shop online, but only for homeware and clothing for the moment.
Another British retailer that has been embraced abroad is Tesco, in China. With over 80 hypermarkets already open and another 120 being built it is anticipated that they will have as much floor space in China as they do currently in the UK - and they are being joined by U.S. giant Wal-Mart in the race for the Chinese consumer.
It would appear that in some countries British retailing is welcome by local people, and it's hardly surprising that some of the UK tourists visiting Tenerife, the Costa del Sol and other popular holiday destinations prefer to shop there when given a choice with local shops competing, and shopping in locally owned businesses might become less of a part of the family holiday enjoyed in the past.
After all, visit London and many of the shops and businesses are foreign owned, with UK consumers happy to spend their money in them, and globalisation of the retail sector is something UK and other modern countries have embraced.
And perhaps the reason why British retailing does well overseas is simply because they're very good at what they do.
by: Henry Ashworth
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