Destination report: England, still home but cheaper
Posted on 29 April 2009 with no comments from readers
Returning to England for the first time since last summer the most immediately obvious thing that any visitor will notice is that devaluation has made the country much cheaper for visitors from the Middle East.
It is not only the devaluation by almost 30 per cent that produces so many bargains, it is also the deep economic crisis that is forcing shops, restaurants and hotels to discount everything. It is like going to an annual sale only having a sudden windfall to spend.
Shopping bargains
Pricing anomalies are not going to last forever. That Channel No5 that now costs $50 more in Dubai than London Heathrow Duty Free will be old stock, and when the shelves are re-stocked the price will go up. England will get some inflation, and it is already happening in the supermarkets to basic foodstuffs.
But right now deflation is definitely the order of the day, and indeed the general price level has fallen for the first time in almost fifty years. Visitors should take advantage while they can, and naturally the tourism industry will be delighted to accommodate them.
Use the Internet as a search tool for bargain hotels. This correspondent is holed up in The Cathedral Hotel, Salisbury (review to follow) which opened its doors after a long and extensive refurbishment a month ago, and is charging $95 a night for a comfortable minimalist ensuite. This undercuts the opposition but with bills to pay the hotel probably has little choice.
A country on sale
Shopping is an absolute delight. Ladies and gents who shop should be in London these days. Hardly a store is without an offer. Factor in the devaluation of sterling and you often pay half what you would in the glittering new malls of Dubai, despite the value added tax.
Eating out is also considerably cheaper than in Dubai which really has become very over-priced for food and beverages, particularly if you hail from good old England. Here a pub meal with wine for $30 is still possible, and that sets the benchmark against which the restaurants have to compete.
It can not be much fun being in the hospitality sector in England right now but there has never been a better time to be a visitor. The changeable weather, sadly, remains.
