Visitors from the Middle East are Britain’s most zealous international shoppers, with clothes or shoes at the top of their shopping list, according to a new report.

Questions about spending habits, compiled by VisitBritain, were put to more than 50,000 people who were asked to identify the items they had purchased on a trip to Britain from a pre-defined list. The organisation’s subsequent report What inbound visitors shop for in Britain shows that it’s not just high-end goods that international guests find attractive.

While the most commonly purchased item was ‘clothes or shoes’ (41 per cent), this was followed by ‘food or drink’ (24 per cent) and then holiday ‘souvenirs’ (16 per cent).

Of the Middle Eastern visitors, Kuwaitis were shown to be the biggest spenders, with the average visit from that country delivering £4,000 to the UK economy. By comparison, the average French visitor will spend an average of £343.

Scotland was shown to be the UK’s culinary capital for tourists, with 40 per cent of visitors buying British food or drink to take home with them – shortbread and whisky proving particularly popular.

“Britain offers a great shopping experience. We have wonderful shops whatever the price range, a unique sense of style and authentic British brands,” said VisitBritain director of strategy and communications Patricia Yates.

“By inspiring our guests to shop, we can spread the economic benefits of tourism across the whole country, further adding to the export earnings delivered by Britain’s fifth largest industry: tourism.”