Premiere Vision Paris and Texworld Paris group of fairs reported successful July 2022 edition, welcoming international buyers

Premiere Vision Paris's new summer edition in July welcomed 23,000 visitors

From July 4 to 8, Première Vision Paris, the premium trade event for all sectors of the textile and garment industry, presented its first early edition dedicated to the Fall-Winter 2023-24 collections: a physical show at the Parc des Expositions, Paris Nord Villepinte (July 5–7), complemented by a digital show accessible online during the same week (July 4 - 8).

This edition was historically held in September, and organisers are optimistic they will be able to build on its success with the new summer schedule, in tune with the evolving cycles of the fashion industry, as well as meeting the needs of manufacturers, 

Organisers say this calendar change has won the market’s approval, registering a 32% growth in the creative offer (when compared to the September 2021 event), welcoming the return of international visitors.  The industry’s reinforced commitment to eco-responsibility issues addressed by Première Vision also confirmed the event’s strategic choices.

The physical edition, which attracted 23,377 visitors (+37% vs. the hybrid event of September 2021 and +10% vs. February 2022),  underlines the positive momentum of the event, with a solid turnout, especially on its first day, despite rail and air strikes, and despite a call for telecommuting issued by the SNCF (France’s national railway) to its users.

“We are pleased to have finally been able to respond to market demand with a new agenda that has been brought forward by two months. The creativity of our offer, the energy of our visitors, the return of distant markets, the challenge of eco-responsibility, and the success of the new services we offer are all strong and encouraging signs that we are able to sustain our activity despite the current context,” confirms Gilles Lasbordes, General Manager of Première Vision.

With international attendance at 69%, and a notable return of the United States and Korea, respectively in the Top 10 and Top 15 positions, international buyers turned out to discover the ultra-premium collections of 1,200 exhibitors. This growing creative offer (+32% vs. September 2021 and +10% vs. February 2022) also had a strong international dimension, with exhibitors coming mostly from Europe—with Italy in the lead, followed by France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, and Germany…—as well as from the Mediterranean basin—Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia…—and from Asia—Japan, Korea, India.

Photos courtesy of PV Paris

In a context where, in addition to the still latent health crisis, we now face an unstable international situation related to the war in Ukraine, which affects all markets in terms of business and industrial factors (rising raw  material prices, supply difficulties, logistics, etc.), this growth both in attendance and offer around a brand new calendar reflects the fashion industry’s solid confidence in the Première Vision Paris show, contends the organisers.

New PREMIÈRE VISION event

On September 7 and 8 2022, Première Vision is organizing its brand-new salon, Fashion Rendez-Vous, to take place at the Carreau du Temple, in the heart of Paris. This new event complements the July edition of Première Vision Paris, Première Vision’s flagship event.

Other upcoming PV events in 2022 and 2023 are as follows:-

DENIM PREMIÈRE VISION - MILAN

23 & 24 November 20, France22

Superstudio Più, Milan

BLOSSOM PREMIÈRE VISION

14 & 15 December 2022

Carreau du Temple, Paris

PREMIÈRE VISION PARIS

7, 8 & 9 February 2023 - Parc des Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte

6—10 February 2023 – Digital Week sur www.premierevision.com 

PREMIÈRE VISION NEW YORK

January 2023

Center 415, New York, USA

MADE IN FRANCE PREMIÈRE VISION

28 & 29 March 2023

Carreau du Temple, Paris

Texworld Paris group of fairs reported successful July 2022 edition, welcoming international buyers

Meanwhile, Texworld Paris group of fairs, held for the first time in July rather than September under a new rescheduling plan, recorded a 29% increase in trade visitors and marking the return of international professionals from the textile and finished product industries, registering some 3,700 buyers to the Parc des Expositions in Le Bourget in the French capital.

In additional to French buyers, other trade visitors had come from Spain, the UK and Italy, followed by Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and the US.

The organisers at Messe Frankfurt France also announced that the next edition will take place from 6 to 8 February 2023 at the same venue, when the fairs will be expected to return to their original format, while the summer trade shows, to take place from 3 to 5 July 2023, will be held for the first time at Porte de Versailles, south Paris.

“This new edition, offered in the summer rather than in September, shows that manufacturers have been able to anticipate and prepare themselves to adapt to buyers' expectations," emphasised Frédéric Bougeard, President of Messe Frankfurt France.  He added that it also confirmed that a new step has been taken towards a return to the original formats of our shows, which we hope to be able to offer in February and then in July 2023. 

The group of fairs held from 4 - 6 July 2022 included Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Leatherworld as well as the textile fair Texworld Paris, presented more than 400 exhibitors.

They welcomed the return of exhibitors from China with 140 companies, India (60) and Korea (41), and from Turkey with 100 exhibitors.

Organisers said exhibitors were generally satisfied with the turnout at the fairs.  For one, weaver Kohinoor Mills from Pakistan, which offers high-quality menswear cotton fabrics at Texworld, revealed it had been a very active show for them company, having made several important contracts. 

The Indian embroiderer Veekay International was able to meet buyers from nations not usually present at European trade fairs, such as Kosovo, Nigeria or Ghana, who placed orders for local markets.

At Apparel Sourcing, exhibitors also reported making positive impression with numerous contacts,  including first-time participant children's clothing manufacturer Raj Krupa Textiles, and womenswear company Smash Creations.

Of the 140 companies representing China, some 45 were  grouped together in the Source In China area, a platform run by agents from Foursource - the digital partner of Messe Frankfurt France - and Chinese experts. 

Buyers welcomed the relevance and clarity of the merchandising efforts on offer in this area, which was once again set up this year by the Texworld Evolution Paris team. Some fifteen Chinese garment manufacturers were able to present complete white label collections designed for the European markets, presented on models during the China Fashion Walk shows. 

Visitors were also able to experience the metaverse at the stand of Texpertise Network, the textile expertise network of the Messe Frankfurt Group. Equipped with virtual reality headsets, they were able to discover the possibilities of organizing virtual and hybrid events, meetings and product showcases that metaverse and augmented reality allow.

Meanwhile organisers announced the Avantex Fashion Pitch prize was awarded this year to the start-up Redonner, which offers a digital solution to enable fashion brands to direct the flow of unused clothing and textiles towards the French sorting and recycling sector.

The winner was selected by a jury of experts, which included Kristina Dimitrova (Interlaced), Franck Delpal (IFM Paris) and Maxime Coupez (Nelly Rodi).

Photos courtesy of Messe Frankfurt Paris.

Texworld Paris and affiliated trade events will take place July 4 - 6 2022

Organisers at Messe Frankfurt Paris say international companies of their July group of textile and garment events have returned in force after more than two years of restrictive participation under hybrid formats due to the Covid pandemic.

The Texworld Evolution Paris apparel sourcing event announce that major sourcing countries including China, India and Turkey have returned featuring more than 400 international exhibitors representing some 20 countries.

The show slated to take place from 4 to 6 July2022 at the Parc des Expositions Paris-Le-Bourget, coincides with its sister trade events Avantex, Leatherworld and Texworld Paris. 

Turkey will be represented by more than 100 companies organised in pavilions at Texworld Paris, 60 of which are grouped together supported by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO). 

Meanwhile Korean fabric manufacturers will also be at the event, registering 41 companies under the pavilion of the National Union of Korean Textile Manufacturers (Kofoti).  Among the regular exhibitors are knitters People N'Nature, A Jin Corporation, and Youngwon Corporation.

China is represented by 140 companies, while from India are more than 60 companies, among them are embroiderers Tarom and Eco Royal Hantex, with exceptional hand-embroidered fabrics. 

Denim is one of key focus areas of the shows, and will be participated by companies from Turkey, China, India and Bangladesh to name a few.

In addition from textiles, many of the international communities are in the Leatherworld Paris, as well as materials with enhanced performance qualities, including China, Turkey, Japan and Pakistan.

Texworld group of shows in Paris reported a buzzing season of intense activity and record attendance

Messe Frankfurt Paris

Messe Frankfurt, organisers of the Texworld and Apparel Sourcing group of shows in Paris, held under the banner of “Fairyland for Fashion”, reported a new record high for attendance, registering 13,929 visitors at this season’s show held February 11 – 14, a 2.35% increase over the February 2018 figures.

Messe Frankfurt Paris

The group of shows held at Le Bourget, Paris twice a year encompass Apparel Sourcing Paris, Avantex Paris, Leatherworld Paris, Shawls&Scarves Paris, Texworld Paris and Texworld Denim Paris.

Europe saw an increase in visitors of almost 2% totally this session, with the highest number from French trade visitors, up 7% as in February 2018.  The second largest group was from Spain, disbanding the UK (due to impact of Brexit) to third place and Turkey to fourth place, followed by Italy at 5th position where attendance growth was stable and posted the strongest growth, up by almost 12%.

Other European countries posting healthy attendance included the Netherlands (up 11%), as well as Poland (+5%), Belarus (+14%), and Bulgaria (+10%).   Ireland and Greece also registered growth in attendance, up 7% et 8% respectively.  Organisers emphasised that Portugal also stood out with an increase of 44%, “which attests to the rise in this country’s capacity in clothing production.”

Elsewhere, from the Americas, the organisers also saw high growth in visitor numbers.  From Brazil, attendance went up 22%, followed by the USA up 20%, Colombia up 9% and Canada up 6%.
As for Asia, the overall growth in attendance was 14%, and in particular from India it went up 13%, South Korea up 6% and Japanese visitors went up 30.

“Business got going extremely quickly. Buyers were intent on determining how feasible their projects were and on getting in first when it came to exclusives,” said Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt France.

Messe Frankfurt

Mr Scherpe continued: “From the very outset we were focussed on what is central to our work: trade talk and business. The atmosphere remained very vibrant throughout. Prime contractors attended the shows in the first place for work and to satisfy their curiosity. I am delighted to see the full effects of our strategy – encouraging contact with the materials, the skills and the people who offer them. It is an approach that I want to keep pursuing.”

Highlights of the fairs included shining a spotlight on environmentally friendly materials and sustainable developments, along with a series of lectures and presentations.

Dates for the next Messe Frankfurt France shows will be from 16 to 19 September 2019 at Le Bourget in Paris.

All photos from  Messe Frankfurt Paris.  

Jordanian garment factory employs Syrian refugees for exports

Life as we know it today is filled with modern technology to help us cope with our daily functions and enhance our well-being.  But at the same time, in many parts of the world today, the basic needs of life are threatened by war, poverty and hunger. 

Oryana Awaisheh, executive manager of Jerash Garments
and Fashion Manufacturing of Jordan, shows off sportswear
made with the help of Syrian refugees.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

While visiting textile and garment industry trade fairs recently I found an abundance of the latest wearable technology and was also pleased to find garment companies that are offering hope to those in despair.

One such company is the Jerash Garments & Fashions Manufacturing Company, a factory in Jordan which has 2,800 employees and is one of the pioneering companies that has been part of an aid programme to train refugees from Syria to manufacture garments in its facilities.

The international aid programme offers Jordan concessional loans and preferential trade terms in return for opening its labour market to some of the estimated 1.3 million refugees who fled there during the war in Syria.

I met Ms Oryana Awaisheh, executive manager of Jerash in Paris at the Texworld group of trade events, notably Apparel Sourcing, which along with Avantex, Shawls&Scarves, Texworld and Texworld Denim Paris was held at Le Bourget in north Paris, 11 – 14 February where 18 different countries had converged to showcase their latest on offer to the garment and textile industry.  Michael Scherpe, Président of fair organiser Messe Frankfurt France, likened the congregation of different nations to the Winter Olympics held concurrently in Pyeongcheng, Korea.

Jordan was one of the countries that participated in the Texworld / Apparel Sourcing
fair in Le Bourget, Paris, February 11 - 14, 2018/
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018 

Ms Awaisheh of Jerash in Jordan explained that the aid programme to help Syrian refugees had been trying in the beginning because few Syrians wanted to work in factories where the pay was not as high as other industries.

Finally in June last year, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) brought in new rules and the factory could qualify to export to the EU tariff-free by meeting the Syrian worker quota on a single production line, rather than the whole factory.  

Encouraged, Awaisheh visited refugee camps to meet women (as the garment sector hires a largely female workforce) and also attended job fairs, and invited refugees to tour the factory.  She then set up a daycare centre and arranged transport to facilitate the refugees' participation.  Eventually after a few months, Awaisheh was able to recruit 85 female workers to work in the factory and thus qualify for export to Europe.

Established 18 years ago, the vertically set-up Jerash’s main export market is the US, at 1.8 Billion USD in 2017, and it also has Free Trade Agreement with Canada, the EU (including Norway, and Switzerland), Singapore, Turkey and countries in the gulf region.

The company is accredited and compliance approved to make for established sportswear brands, including North Face, Columbia, Land’s End, North Face, Nautica, Timberland as well as for Philip-Van Heusen which owns Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD and Speedo.  Its workforce include workers from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal in addition to Syria.

The participation of Jordanian companies at the February 2018 edition of Apparel Sourcing, was supported by Mr Hassan Nsour, who is responsible for Qualifying Industrial Zones at the Ministry for Industry and Trade, in association with the World Bank integrated-programme for Syrian refugees. Mr Adel Tawileh, board member at the Jordanian Chamber of Commerce, said they met their main goal of the fair, meeting fashion labels and also independent designers, who were mainly from Europe.   He said, “Our firms were especially surprised by the success of the uniform & workwear segment, men’s suits and women’s clothing with Middle Eastern embroidery.”

Texworld group of trade fairs in Paris February 11 - 14 2018

Due to open on February 11 2018 in Paris at Le Bourget is the joint fairs of Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Shawls&Scarves, Texworld Denim and Texworld Paris.

Organisers at Messe Frankfurt France have scheduled a busy programme of catwalk shows as well as informative conferences and seminars for attendants to gain insights into various sectors of the textile and garment industry which will be co-hosted by a number of top officials from different participating countries and exhibitors.

Subjects being covered include an Overview of the European and worldwide foreign trade in 2017; the good practises in apparel sourcing; Materials and components, Transparencies and new materials, the strengths and constraints of European manufacturers and speakers will include experts and professionals from Germany and Austria.

For full story, click HERE.

Photo from the 2017 September Texworld events.

Paris Textile trade fairs report record attendance

As today's retailers continue their discussion and debates over the importance of bricks and mortar retailing as opposed to the increased popularity of online trading, trade fairs catered for the textile and fashion industry that offer face-to-face interactions are proving their continued relevance for conducting business.

As organisers at Messe Frankfurt France have reported this week, European fashion brands remain very keen on attending their recently held trade exhibitions, namely TEXWORLD and TEXWORLD DENIM  PARIS, APPAREL SOURCING, AVANTEX, SHAWLS & SCARVES – The ACCESSORIES SHOW-CASE, (the shows focusing on textiles, materials, components, trimmings and manufacturing for the fashion and accessories industry), have recorded 13.9% more visitors than the show held in September 2016, to the tune of 15,473 visitors in total.

According to Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt France, the record turnout at these fairs, held at Le Bourget, Paris from 18 to 21 September 2017,  was "unexpected": after two years of lacklustre performance, buyers were in need of renewal and a change in fashion codes; the outlook was proactive and buyers were drawn to new products, he said.

There was a sharp increase of 15% in attendance and the top 5 countries that sent buyers and trade visitors included France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Turkey respectively. The ranking that was identical to that of September 2016, with strong growth for all except France, which remained unchanged.  Germany came in 6th position, up by 18.7%, followed by Belgium up by 4.8%. 

“We found the September 2017 show to be extremely busy. From the very first day of the show, there was a wind of change blowing through the shows. (There was) A fresh appetite for the industries of fashion. Global ready-to-wear firms were certainly present, ready to get down to serious and enthusiastic business at the stands. Exhibitors welcomed the attendance, even from the European luxury sector. The same goes for the return by Americans (+19,38)” says Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt France. 

The organisers pointed out that the joint trade fairs' artistic backdrops, the segmentation of the shows, and the scheduling of fashion shows and seminars along with the wide ranging exhibits all helped to enrich the experience of visitors and demonstrated that the show was open and appealing to all fashion brands.

On the "Small Quantities" circuit, large international luxury companies were set side-by-side with major global ready-to-wear brands, including young designs.  The quality of the materials was one of the discoveries welcomed by visitors.

China (with the largest contingent of weavers at Texworld Paris) was one of the main attractions, as confirmed by Zhang Tao, the Secretary General of CCIPT TEX. The improvement in the business models of domestic firms, as advocated by the Chinese government, aims to continue working towards genuine fashion products, to develop technical innovation and to emphasise sustainable development, said Mr Tao at a press conference.

At the “From Workshop to Shop” exhibition, organised by the Chinese government under the auspices of the CCIPT TEX, some 30 ensembles from 10 Chinese ready-to-wear brands were arranged around a space that, using virtual reality, immersed the visitor in the production sites. These brands for women’s and men’s ready-to-wear: Aiyimei, Upper , Bosideng, Hodo, Bridge Group, Dragon Silk, Heyi, Nikky, Top Garment, Sankei, Renoir and Yinchuan Binhe Ruyi, are already established in China and, are using the trade fair as a springboard to extend their presence on the world market.  A display of ever-more specialist skills from these 12 clothing manufacturers can also be seen at the show.

One of the highlights in the ELITE segment, an area dedicated to firms offering a wide range of tailored services, was the demonstration by a specialist attired in traditional Chinese brocades woven by hand using the traditional method of the Tujia ethnic group from the Chinese regions of Hunan and Hubei .

Upscaling was widely adopted at stands representing Turkish weavers, while the a wide range of cotton and embroidery from India was on offer, as well as quality prints from South Korea, the comprehensive offer, even technical products from Indonesian exhibitors all drew visitors’ interest. Creativity was the overall achievement recognised at TEXWORLD PARIS, said the organisers. 

Texworld Denim was a new addition this season, with nearly 80 exhibitors for materials and clothing production to celebrate its grand opening.  The area allowed makers of fabrics and manufacturers in one area to make contact and to network. 
Another area Business Beyond Borders, a partnership that fosters business contacts between players in the textile and clothing industry and small manufacturing firms, set up by Eurochambres, also met with resounding success, said organisers. Some 200 meetings were held in the dedicated space involving 258 companies from 42 countries.   
Three conferences and round table discussions took place at TEXWORLD PARIS: the sector for future clothing, Ex-aequo, the trends for autumn/winter 18/19, new technologies and new skills.

Dates for the next TEXWORLD, Avantex, Apparel Sourcing, Shawls and Scarves and TEXWORLD DENIM: 11, 12, 13 & 14 February 2018 Paris Le Bourget.

Photos: from Texworld / © Lucia Carpio 2017 

General upturn in global economy boosted trade fair attendances

Texworld - APPAREL SOURCING – AVANTEX – SHAWLS & SCARVES –  Texworld Denim

18 - 21 September 2017 – Paris Le Bourget, France

Organisers of the Texworld Paris group of trade fairs have credited their record levels of visitor attendance this September to a general upturn in the global economy and restored confidence in the textile and apparel industry.

Messe Frankfurt France said their events - covering Apparel Sourcing, Avantex, Shawls & Scarves, Texworld and Texworld Denim Paris - posted 15,473 visitors, representing an increase of 13.9% compared with the September 2016 show.

European visitors, including the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany saw an increase of 15%, where as signs of recovery was shown by Belgium and France, while Turkey and the Netherlands posted positive results too. Russian buyers amounted to 8% of the visitors.

Asian representatives showed excellent results with an 8.5% increase, with a significant breakthrough for Japan, and very strong presence from South Korea and India.

A surprising positive result was shown by the American markets, according to the organisers, registering an increase of 7% from that market. While Canada, Colombia and Mexico remained stable, US visitors showed a real sign of confidence with greater attendance and there has been also a marked interest from Brazil.

The African continent sent 48% more visitors than previously, in particular a sharp increase coming from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and South Africa.

A sign that attests to the Messe Frankfurt Group establishing  itself on the continent, since during the shows it announced that it has acquired ATF and Source Africa in Cape Town (South Africa).

“The shift towards high-end materials and skills in clothing production, which had been noticed over the course of past shows, has been confirmed once again. New offers like Texworld Denim, innovative and tailored services such as the business accelerator partnership Business Beyond Borders from the European Union and the internationalisation illustrated by a considerable number of national pavilions all contribute towards the positive development of the ranges offered by the trade fairs, ” says Michael Scherpe, President of Messe Frankfurt France.

All photos courtesy of Texworld/Messe Frankfurt.

Major apparel suppliers experiencing a decline in fashion exports to the US

In less than two weeks, Donald Trump will be sworn in as America's  45th president, and much focus will be placed on his foreign trade policies, as whether, upon assuming duty in the White House, he will practise what he has been preaching throughout his campaign.  And that is to carry out a series of protectionist measures, aimed at promoting the economy and employment in industries in the United States.  His course of actions to "Make America Great Again" will no doubt have various foreseeable consequences for a whole range of industries, including the textile and clothing sector.

According to figures provided by textile fairs organisers Messe Frankfurt France (organisers of Texworld Paris and related trade fairs), major apparel suppliers of textiles and clothing have already been experiencing a decline in fashion exports to the US market.

Texworld Paris is one of the key textile trade fairs in Europe that welcome internatonal visitors,
from all over Europe, US and Asia.

For the first nine months of 2016, US textiles and clothing imports fell by 6.3% slumping down to USD 80 billion. The decline amounted to 5.0% for clothing (USD 61.6 billion) and 10.2% for textiles (USD 18.4 billion).

China remains by far the largest supplier of clothing to the USA, but its share fell from 35.9% to 34.5%. Other Asian suppliers are stagnating or have recorded a poor performance (Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka); Cambodia is experiencing a sharp shrinking.

Overall, ASEAN countries have seen their exports to the US drop by 3.4% for the first nine months of 2016, down to USD 15.3 billion.

Over the same period, suppliers who are members of the NAFTA free trade agreement with the US (Mexico and Canada) have suffered a decline of 6.8%, down to USD 2.9 billion, while other US clothing exporters to the USA experienced contrasting situations: Honduras (-4.1%), El Salvador (+0.6%), and so on.

Texworld Paris will play host to international exhibitors February 6th to 9th 2017
 to be held at the Paris-Le Bourget exhibition centre.

European clothing suppliers are marginalized on the US market. 

For the first nine months of 2016, EU's exports (from 28 member states) fell to USD 1.57 billion, a decline of 4.6% compared to the first 9 months of 2015.

Italy, the largest among them, saw its exports fall by 6% to USD 869 million.  Other major European suppliers for the first nine months of 2016 were Portugal (USD 149 million or +12%), France (USD 109 million, - 9%) and Great Britain (USD 83 million USD, -16%).

Exports of textiles (fabrics, yarn, etc.) from the EU to the USA reached, for the first nine months, USD 1.47 billion, USD 396 million of which were for Italy (-10%), USD 254 million for Germany (+ 1%) and USD 101 million for France (-15%).

Thanks to its QIZ free trade agreement with the United States, Jordan ranked 12th among US apparel suppliers (USD 975 million for the first nine months of 2016, + 2% ). Other major Mediterranean suppliers during this period were Egypt (USD 542 million, -17%), Turkey (USD 360 million, + 6%), Morocco (USD 98 million, + 8%) and Tunisia (USD 46 million, -16%).

Turkey is also a major supplier of textiles (USD 799 million in 2015 and USD 625 million for the first nine months of 2016) and, to a lesser extent, Egypt (USD 181 million in 2015 and USD 131 million for the first 9 months of 2016).

It should also be noted that sub-Saharan African countries saw their exports increase by 2% to USD 764 million in the first 9 months of 2016. The most important of these are Kenya, Lesotho and Mauritius.

Texworld Paris saw slight increase in visitor numbers

After four days of brisk business, Texworld Paris, encompassing its sister show Apparel Sourcing Paris, saw  another successful season for the textile fair held 9 - 12 February at the north Parisian suburb of Le Bourget.

Embroidery skills and young design talent were on show at Texworld.  
Photo courtesy of Texworld/Messe Frankfurt Paris. 

Under the title of "Presence", the fair presented fabric developments and new trends for Spring Summer 2016 from 626 exhibitors. 

A total of 13,639 visitors from 111 countries attended according to the organisers.

While France saw an increase of 13% in visitor numbers and the UK recorded a rise of 3%,   elsewhere in Europe, Italy, Portugal and Germany saw a slight fall, whilst Spain remained steady, supported by its numerous fashion brands.

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