Arab Tourists in London: Reasons and Cultural Differences - Case Study Example

ARAB TOURISTS IN LONDON: REASONS AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCIES by The of the The of the School The and The Date CONTENTS Abstract…………………………………………………………………………3 London as one of the most visited cities in the world……………………...4 The interest of Middle East in London………………………………………5 The invasion of rich Arabs in the city………………………………………...6 The attitude of Londoners to Arab luxury style……………………………..7 Cultural differences between Londoners and tourists……………………...8 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..11 Abstract London is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It attracts thousands of tourists every year, who come in order to look at the beauties of British heart. Trafalgar square, White House, Westminster Abbey, Cathedrals belong to the old British attractions, which create the picture of the place with a great history and charming classical style. However, London does not suffer from such a great attention, but improve its economical situation by means of international tourism. “International tourism in the twenty-first century will be a major vehicle for fulfilling people’s aspirations for a higher quality of life, a part of which will be through “facilitating more authentic social relationships between individuals” and, it is hoped, laying the ground-work for a peaceful society through global touristic contacts (Edgell, D., 1990, 1). The interest of other nationalities in relation to London brings the city the world fame and social interest. For the last years, the flow of tourists to London consists mostly of Arabic nationalities. It is predetermined by the rapid improvement of the economic situation of the United Arabic Emirates. The aim of this work is to analyze the reasons and cultural differences in relation to Arab tourists in London. The capital of the UK has been recognized as the most popular city in the world in 2013. Thus, it eclipsed Paris, which eventually took the second place, ranking on tourist arrivals and Bangkok, which occupied the third place. A huge success of London is explained by the Olympic Games, which were hold there in 2012. London won the first place in popularity among tourists. Good weather, the birth of Prince George of Cambridge and London tennis victory secured the championship of this city on a tourist attendance in 2013. According to the data of national organizations, London attracts tourists mainly by its museums, restaurants and sport events of global significance. The most popular museum in London, due to its large-scale, became the British Museum. During the last year London was visited by over 6.7 million people. London as one of the most visited cities in the world “London also boasts one of the planets greatest concentrations of cultural attractions. From royal palaces to the peoples parliament, from Roman ruins to castles and cathedrals, you could spend endless days exploring Londons sites without ever running out of unique things to see and do” (Dearsley, B., 2014). However, the trip to London is closely connected with the financial abilities of its visitors. London is an expansive city. It comprises most of the world’s attractions, but not everyone can feel free to use all these attractions due to the financial situation. That is why, the city constantly becomes the privilege of rich and financially secured strata of the population. “The capital dominates Britain’s most visited tourist attractions with some sites such as the British Museum attracting more than five million visits annually. However, different attractions in the capital appeal to different visitor types. Its hotel market is fundamentally different to that of the remainder of the country, characterized by higher occupancy rates, higher average daily room rates and far higher levels of profitability” (Kyte, S., 2012). The average cost for the night in the British capital for two tourists is 387 Euros. London attractions are the most expensive of all the major tourist centers of the world. This conclusion was made by "Telegraph" after the comparing of rates of travel in 11 cities, including Sydney, Hong Kong, Paris and Rome. The interest of Middle East in London “Where British shoppers might buy just one piece, the Middle Eastern customer might buy a whole suite,’ explains Boodles managing director Michael Wainwright, who might be forgiven for having something of a spring in his step” (Hale, B., 2014). The most expansive places for tourists in London are the museum of Madame Tussauds, Tower of London and Buckingham Palace. However, the local prices do not confuse Arab visitors of the city, who spend their quite big sums of money. “Today’s figures from the Office for National Statistics also show that spending by foreign visitors during the summer also rose — by about five per cent on the bumper Olympic year — to £3.372 billion” (Prynn, J., 2014). London tourism sector of the economy continues to break records on cash proceeds. According to the preliminary data, the amount of spending money committed by tourists during the summer of 2013 exceeded four billiards marks. The most significant contribution to such an astronomical sum was brought by the visitors from the Middle Eastern oil countries. Thus, according to the forecasts of financial analysts, tourists from Saudi Arabia brought to London approximately £ 100 million for the current year. This figure is obtained from the value of the tourist flow and spending money per one traveler from that country. On average, each citizen of Saudi Arabia spends almost 2 500 pounds during his attendance of the city. “With international visitor levels due to peak in the last two weeks of July, two of the most significant inbound visitor markets to the area – United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – will head to London’s West End during the pre-Ramadan period” (Ferris-Lay, C., 2011). Such rate has not been achieved yet by any nation. The citizens of Saudi Arabia in the list of most generous tourists in the British capital are followed by the representatives of UAE. The invasion of rich Arabs in the city Once a year, in summer, many young rich Arabs transport by air their luxury cars to distant lands in London to enjoy certain things, banned at home. “Arabs now spend twice as much as Australians, Germans and French - and 50 per cent more than Americans” (Mctague, T., 2014). The capital of the UK is filled with the owners of supercars to the delight of car enthusiasts who, armed with cameras and smart phones, make coveted pictures. Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT, Koenigsegg, Bugatti Veyron, Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR and so forth. The citizens of London face these luxury items just in front of them. “I don’t mind rich Arab tourists”, says Hannah, London citizen. “Politicians say, they spend money here and then leave, don’t they? It fills the budget”. However, not all Londoners like this invasion of supercars. Residents of some prestigious areas such as Knightsbridge, have negative attitude in relation to millionaires, who exceed speed limits and create too much noise untwisted to limit the engine, thereby disturbing their peaceful sleep. “From Harrods in Knightsbridge to the glittering diamond stores in Mayfair, London has long attracted big spenders. But every year around the holy month of Ramadan, which starts this weekend, a wave of spectacularly rich Middle Eastern shoppers arrives and takes retail therapy to a whole new level — complete with an entourage of bodyguards, chauffeurs, and Gulf-registered Rolls-Royces and Ferraris flown in just for the occasion” (Hui, S., 2014). “I feel no longer safe in my native city, as I’m the visitor here, not Arabs”, says George whose family has lived in Knightsbridge for decades. He thinks that Arabs has turned an old conservative city of London into “a modern mess”. The residents hold the campaign against the Arab "invasion", applying even to the local authorities, and to the Parliament. The subtitle of the article in Daily Mail, the British stronghold of ethics and impartial journalism, says that the bright Arab supercars brought by private planes, clog the streets with expensive boutiques where owners outfit jewelry worth up to 20 million pounds. This makes a picture of contribution of Arab tourists into the British economy clearer. “People from the UAE, Egypt and other regional countries spend more in the UK than all other foreign nationalities, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics” (Amtul, S., 2014). The attitude of Londoners to Arab luxury style The “invasion” of rich Arabs as the tourist in London makes the world population think over the reasons of such rapid interest over the British capital. However, the reasons are obvious. Arab businessmen greatly contribute to their own countries, holding business and placing their centers on their own lands, but it does not prevent them from investments to other countries. Nowadays the countries of Middle East seek for financial tights and possibilities, which can be beneficial for them. Investments to other major world capitals can bring them new ideas of international cooperation, which is very popular nowadays. Rich Arab countries seek for reliable partners, which have common interests with them and can implement the development of interesting business projects. Arabs know the British capital, very well, and want to invest in it large sums of money. It concerns not only the prestigious brands, but also infrastructure, and affordable housing. It is no wonder that they have invested money in the Olympic Park. Mike was voluntarily involved in the project. “I was a volunteer when Olympic Games 2012 were held here, in London. I remember all the longtime preparations very well. Many Arabs were here as investors and managers, and I think they made a valuable impact. It was a good experience, but also an example of Britons and Arabic successful cooperation”. London can offer Arabs more and more possibilities in order to extract their mutual partnership. In 2022, Qatar will host the World Cup, and it may need British experience of such large-scale projects on time and within budget. Cultural differences between Londoners and tourists “The positive effects of Arab tourism in the UK are not confined to the huge revenues reaped by shops and businesses as a result of Arab procurement, but also contributed to the revival of the hospitality sector as well” (South Atlantic News Agency, 2013). Qataris seek to cooperate with London in the field of higher education, culture, medicine and science. They intend to diversify its economy and stop focusing on hydrocarbons. The boom that is happening in the Gulf sharply contrasts with the evil fruit of European difficulties. Great Britain has been involved in crisis for five years, and every time it hopes that the crisis is over, the euro begins the regular convulsions, and this confidence disappears. However, the flock of Arab tourists makes a great contribution to the elimination of the crisis and establishment of stable position of Great Britain on the world level. “With parts of London being labeled a charming oasis for Arab visitors, the British capital’s allure has hit the headlines every year, bolstered by upbeat Gulf tourist purchase figures and record visit numbers from the GCC, which boosted UK tourism in 2013” (El-Shenawi, E, 2014). However, the international tourism arises the questions of cultural differences between the visitors and citizens of London. Being an international city, London faces hundreds of cultures and nationalities, which have their own customs and traditions. Definitely, there are particular difficulties in the communication of Britons and Arabs. The image of the thoughts and actions of people varies, depending on their belonging to a particular culture. “It’s clear that now when Arabs have a mint of money they want to visit London. I love to travel to other countries and especially, when those countries differ greatly form my own one”, says Deborah, London citizen. “I think that’s fine as long as tourists leave Britain one day. Because, you know, tourism is the one thing, but immigration is a problem”. The culture of the UK is rich and diverse. It greatly affects other cultures on the global scale. The UK has strong cultural ties with its former colonies. In holding business relationships, it is very important for both partners to understand each other in a proper way. The cultural differences between Britons and Arabs are visible. However, any misunderstanding can always be disputable, if the foreign visitors have a good knowledge of the language. The Arab peoples since ancient times used to live very modestly. The harsh climate of the desert taught these people to eat simple food, wear comfortable clothes and enjoy the few universal household items. As for the contemporary living space occupied by the Arabs, it completely satisfies them. Money from petrol trading provides the elite society more than a decent living. It should be noted that the United Arab Emirates is an Islamic country and Islam has a decisive influence on the law, personal and business relationships, behavior and codes of conduct, marriage, family, and art. Arabs rarely allow words to reveal their secret feelings. The same things concern British nation. The people of Great Britain are quite reserved in their statements and speech. Thus, this is a common feature between these two nations. Arabs follow a pre-planned system of international communication and prefer to be prepared for all events. Their strong will and perseverance help them to make such high social organizations, which provide them triumph over the other nations. That is why the citizens of UAE are such rich and reliable investors for the UK. Most of Arabs have an emotional temper. This nation does not like disrespect in their turn. “Arabs behave themselves strange, and I don’t like it”, says Katy, 21-years-old English student. “They think they can behave themselves in England the same way they behave at home. But we have quite different cultural tradition and different views on women social position”. Arabs love independence, their honor is above all. That is why they try to hold a clear business, as dishonesty does not correspond to their cultural peculiarities. John’s private company has tied connections with Qatari businessmen. He says, “On the first sight Arabs and Britons are, of course, quite different people. But we both appreciate our national and religious traditions, therefore Arab is a man of his word, as well as an English man”. Arabs, according to their mentality are workaholics. This tradition originates from the features of the Bedouin way of life, as the desert poses a continuing danger. Arabs are very polite in relation to other people. A gesture is the active assistant of any Arab in the process of conversation. Gestures of Arabs are very different in their meaning from the European ones. Some of them seem very offensive for Britons and vice versa. Britons have their own cultural characteristics. They continue to sow the seeds around their native culture, as well as, the native mentality. It concerns not only Britain but also foreign countries. In India, for example, the features of the glorious British mentality are embodied in the rail. The national mentality is manifested in England in the noble spirit. This class of Englishmen at all times actively diluted aliens, and was hotly hated by the original inhabitants of the island. In modern Britain it is not fashionable to be an aristocrat. For example, in London there is no palace, which belongs to Lord. Creative people or patrons are quite rare among the survivors of the English aristocracy. The cultural differences between Britons and representatives of the Middle East are assimilated to their mutual business cooperation. The international tourism is the main part of England’s economic system. Patrick, London citizen, says, “I think London citizens got use to Arabic tourists. It’s no longer a problem. Situation has changed completely after the Olympic Games in 2012. London citizens got used to many exotic cultures and their representatives. It’s normal, I think, for such a big modern city as London is”. Consequently, the representatives of one of the most famous cities of the world try to receive the guests patiently. Conclusion Concluding this article, it is necessary to mention that Arab tourism made a great contribution to the development of London. The area of International tourism is the most beneficial for the economy of Great Britain and brings great prospects for the further development of the county and strengthening of its positions on the world level. 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