Chinese visitors to Austria biggest shopping spenders in 2017

VIENNA - Chinese tourists visiting Austria in 2017 spent the most on shopping compared to other foreign guests, according to a Der Standard report.

Citing new figures from Premier Tax Free Austria, the report said Chinese visitors spent an average of 555 euros ($685), a 32-euro increase over 2016.

The average spent by all foreign guests on shopping was 486 euros.

Chinese shoppers most commonly purchased items such as watches, jewelry, clothes and cosmetics, as well as local products.

Guests from Russia and Switzerland were the second and third biggest spenders respectively.

Premier Tax Free Austria said the positive trend in money spent by tourists for 2017 was anticipated to carry over into the current year, noting that spending by Chinese guests would continue to be an important measure in assessing the state of the industry.