London losing billions of pounds of tourist spending to rival European cities says new report

West End retailers say they have been badly hit by the loss of the VAT refund scheme - (In Pictures via Getty Images)

London is rapidly losing ground to cities in France, Italy and Spain in the rivalry to attract high spending visitors from outside the European Union, new data reveals today.

The scrapping of VAT free shopping for foreign tourists in 2021 by the Conservative Government continues to deter travellers from North America, the Middle East and Asia.