“London has a lot of culture and free museums,” said the marketing director from Beijing, who visited the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal Opera house during her trip.Total spending this week by the 750 million Chinese tourists at home and abroad is expected to hit $72 billion this year, according to the China Travel Academy (CTA), a government-backed research institute.

The shopping hot spots of Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore have long been overseas favourites for Chinese visitors, but a reduced appetite for luxury due to a slower Chinese economy and crackdown on extravagance has left some retailers feeling the pinch.”They used to spend money like nobody’s business, so we would always look forward to Golden Week,” said Azri, a supervisor at the Salva…