www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Home / World

Flat-lining UK economy to get royal baby boom

By Associated Press in London | China Daily | Updated: 2013-06-13 08:15

Collectibles to be sold; more tourists expected

British officials are hoping that the impending royal birth will produce a bouncing baby buoy for the economy.

With the Duchess of Cambridge due to give birth to an heir to the throne next month, it's time for citizens and groups to consider how to best mark the moment.

Happy occasions often boost consumer confidence, sparking a spring in the step that leads right to the shopping mall for street party snacks, summer frocks and suntan lotion. And happy national occasions with the royal family and a new heir hit an emotional jackpot in Britain - boosting national pride along with tea, cakes and commemorative china.

"Royal fever is more intense now, actually," said Pauline Maclaran, a professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway and the co-author of Tiaras, Tea Towels and Tourism: Consuming the British Royal Family, which will be published by the University of California Press. "At a time of crisis, when there is financial depression, people look for something to lift themselves."

Britain really could use some consumer confidence right now. The economy is so flat no one has any idea how to pick it up. It grew last quarter at the less-than-stunning rate of 0.3 percent.

But trend watchers say the royal birth is being seen as the country's latest installment of "Big Events".

First, in April 2011, there was the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, an extravaganza of horse-drawn carriages, breast-plated soldiers and white lace gowns. Then came the June 2012 Jubilee flotilla down the River Thames - a procession of some 1,000 highly decorated boats, all honoring Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne.

Within months, London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics, kicking it off with a flag-waving, torchlit procession celebrating every scenic bit of the island nation, from Land's End in the west to the Scottish village of John o' Groats in the north. The mood was extended another month by the most watched, most-celebrated Paralympics in history.

A study issued earlier this month by UK Trade & Investment suggested the 2012 "Summer of Sport" delivered 2.5 billion pounds ($3.9 billion) in foreign direct investment resulting from business events launched during the games. More comprehensive numbers on the games are expected later.

Richard Cope, director of trends at the global market research firm Mintel, says the possibilities abound for using the royal birth to economic advantage.

"These kinds of events do raise people's sense of pride," Cope said. "It makes them enjoy being British."

And they make people all over the world curious about kings, queens and castles. The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and other royal-related tourist attractions bring in more than 500 million pounds a year from overseas tourists, and predictions are for a 3 percent increase this year after all the hype of 2012.

British Tourist Authority's VisitBritain estimates that culture and heritage - which include theaters, galleries, castles, stately homes and pubs - generate 4.6 billion pounds a year in total spending by overseas tourists.

And while a royal birth isn't a typical economic event, things have a way of morphing in the social media age. The royals have come a long way since 1948, when Prince Charles' birth was announced by a footman who tacked a note to the railing outside Buckingham Palace.

William's engagement was announced on Twitter and on the monarchy website - which allows the royals to speak directly to the public. Between direct access and media excess, just about anything that touches the House of Windsor gets a maximum amount of attention.

The royals are marketplace movers in a way that goes way beyond commemorative china. When the Duchess of Cambridge wore a sapphire blue wrap dress to announce her engagement, designer Daniella Helayel found herself swamped with international attention - and buyers - within minutes.

(China Daily 06/13/2013 page10)

Today's Top News

Editor's picks

Most Viewed

Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 午夜两性试爱视频免费 | 性做久久久久久久免费观看 | 91福利国产在线观一区二区 | 黄网在线| 在线看欧美日韩中文字幕 | 韩国免又爽又刺激激情视频 | 农村寡妇女人一级毛片 | 亚洲精品一区二三区在线观看 | 成年人色网站 | 青青草国产一区二区三区 | 亚洲理论视频 | 久久黄网| 中文字幕亚洲一区二区v@在线 | 老头老太做爰xxx视频 | 九九精品视频一区二区三区 | 亚洲一级二级三级 | 国产香蕉久久 | 天天看片天天爽_免费播放 天天看夜夜 | 国产精品久久久久久久毛片 | 久久在线观看免费视频 | 精品99在线观看 | 久久久在线视频精品免费观看 | 最新亚洲精品 | 亚洲免费视频网 | a级男女性高爱潮高清试 | 91亚洲精品一区二区福利 | 久久精品成人国产午夜 | 国产99视频精品免费观看7 | aaaa级毛片欧美的 | 久久婷婷影院 | 亚洲国产精品日韩在线 | 欧美一级毛片欧美一级 | 99精品在线播放 | 亚洲黄色性视频 | 国产午夜毛片v一区二区三区 | 国产三级做爰高清在线 | 97欧美精品一区二区三区 | 国产精品成人网 | 欧美日韩综合精品一区二区三区 | 亚洲国产精品热久久2022 | 欧美一区二区三区视频在线 |