The $2 coconuts and $3 kombucha on the menu represented more than half the daily salary of a worker who handpicks the tea leaves used to make this fermented beverage. Two fishermen were sitting on stilts in the sea, their fishing rods in hand. Waves ebbed. The sun became redder.

Grond’s video featured a cafe in Ahangama, a small town located 88 miles south of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Once a fishing town, it is now one of Sri Lanka’s most popular tourist destinations.

It is well-known for its shoreline lined with coconut palms and is marketed as a surf destination and a hotspot for digital nomads during the busiest months of December through April.

Restaurants, hotels, and cafes

Many of Sri Lanka’s cities and towns are changing as the island nation strives for a robust tourism sector after its worst economic crisis in 2022. The trendy cafes, restaurants, and yoga studios that most residents cannot afford are taking the place of small grocers and neighbourhood food stands. Instead, these establishments primarily serve foreign tourists who have more money. Additionally, foreigners are increasingly occupying local spaces, sometimes illegally, operating businesses and providing services that are nearly exclusively targeted at Western tourists. Finding local cuisine in these gentrified areas is difficult.

Foreigners and Sri Lankans working in the industry are increasingly hostile toward locals, who feel marginalised and alienated in their own country.

A local owner was seen in a recent viral video on X denying entry to a group of local tourists at a souvenir shop in Galle Fort, a popular tourist destination in southern Sri Lanka. This action is illegal, as businesses, restaurants, hotels, and public entertainment venues in Sri Lanka cannot deny entry based on race, religion, caste, or sex.

To prevent foreign visitors from noticing the discrimination locals endure, social researcher Amalini De Sayrah reported seeing “foreigners only” signs at lodging facilities, spas, and party flyers. Such signs are sometimes written exclusively in Sinhala. According to De Sayrah, when she and her friends spoke in Sinhala, the small-to-mid-budget eateries and bars turned them away.

“It forces locals to either restrict their travels or to go to fancy, expensive places that don’t explicitly say locals aren’t allowed, though from their design and price point, you can say they were not designed for locals. Although a fraction of locals may afford these places, for those on a tighter budget, it often means paying more to be in spaces where they don’t feel welcome,” De Sayrah added.

In January, photographer Tashiya de Mel observed that foreign visitors had their own parking lots, entrances, ticket booths, and restrooms when she and her parents visited the Lion’s Rock, an old rock fortress in Sigiriya that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Local visitors had their own facilities, but the elderly and disabled found it challenging to reach the well-known site due to the distance between the parking lot and the entrance.

Later, on a busy public holiday, local tour guides told foreigners to skip the line while elderly Sri Lankans had to wait in the sun to climb the Lion’s Rock. One of her followers shared this experience when de Mel posted it on Instagram and asked if they had had a similar experience. Some responded with stories of paying for beach parties when foreign guests weren’t required to or of being turned away from restaurants.

Tourism in Sri Lanka only started to increase in 2009, following the end of the nearly 30-year-long civil war, despite the establishment of the Ceylon Tourism Board in 1966. Sri Lanka was marketed as a ‘paradise island’ despite allegations of war crimes by the state, drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists seeking beautiful tropical beaches, train trips to tea country, and historical sites. These attractions were affordably priced compared to many other travel destinations worldwide.

Nonetheless, separate restrooms for domestic and international passengers were maintained at train stations even back then. While the “foreigners only” restrooms were much cleaner, the locals’ restrooms were musty, with stained walls, cracked doors, wet floors, and overflowing bins.

The distinction between domestic and foreign visitors is now much more obvious as more and more visitors enter the nation. De Sayrah claimed that while young white backpackers, who typically spend less than locals, are more “welcome,” travellers of colour—even those who spend a lot of money—face prejudice and scrutiny. She said that if this keeps up, it might deter people of colour from visiting Sri Lanka.

Nabila Ismail, a Pakistani-American content creator, shared a video on Instagram earlier in January that showed how Sri Lanka’s tourism sector catered to white tourists.

According to the video, she was frequently the only person of colour in outdoor areas or wellness centres where white tourists were “surprised” to see someone of colour.

“I did not receive the same treatment as other travellers, especially in southern Sri Lanka. Apart from Ahangama, backpacker-friendly Unawatuna and surf hotspot Weligama in Sri Lanka’s south follow the same trends. Sometimes, people thought I was Sri Lankan. White tourists were greeted with smiles, while I had to flag down the staff several times for them to take my order. They did not greet me the same and never came to check on me like they did with other tables,” she said.

This belief that white foreign visitors should be treated better than residents and visitors of colour is the result of internalised racism and lingering colonial-era norms. White foreign visitors who can afford such wellness retreats are perceived as wealthier than the typical Sri Lankan, who earns in local currency.

“When I’m the only person of colour in a luxury hotel or a wellness space, it feels like I need to justify it or provide an explanation… about what I do for work, I must live abroad, I must not be Sri Lankan, but white tourists don’t have to explain themselves,” Ismail said.

“Our generosity is truly heartwarming, but the perception that locals are not deserving of that hospitality or that foreigners are more deserving of it is informed by things like the gamble that is the tourism economy. Foreign revenue is seen as essential to Sri Lanka’s economy, and when it comes to attracting it, anything goes,” De Sayrah said.

A significant contributor to Sri Lanka’s $84 billion economy is tourism. According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, in 2018, tourism was the third-largest source of foreign exchange for the country, following remittances and the export of clothing.

Tourist arrivals hit a record high of over 2.33 million visitors. However, the industry did directly contribute just $4.3 billion, or 4.9% of the $88 billion national GDP that year. Just over two million tourists visited the nation in 2024.

However, successive administrations and industry leaders frequently promote Sri Lanka to the world and emphasise the number of visitors, portraying tourism as the island’s only hope.

The government started a global tourism marketing campaign in 2023 with the tagline “You’ll come back for more,” providing free visas to tourists from several nations, including China, India, and Russia. The tourism promotion bureau in Sri Lanka organised a $5 million campaign.

Athula Gnanapala, a professor of tourism management at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka’s Faculty of Management Studies, stated that although tourism generates revenue for the nation, local communities currently receive very little benefit from it.

According to Gnanapala, the most successful companies in the island nation are run by Colombo businesspeople, who typically employ locals. It doesn’t benefit the local community outside the capital if the hotel is owned by someone from Colombo and the employees are also from Colombo.

Menial, low-paying jobs are frequently held by locals who have little to no access to formal education and training in the hospitality industry.

“But if there is a proper mechanism to encourage, empower, and broaden their capacities, anyone—rich or poor—can be involved in tourism and benefit from it,” Gnanapala added.

Concerns have also been raised about the drive to draw in more tourists. The Sri Lankan government hopes to see three million visitors this year, and by 2028, it hopes to have five million.

According to Gnanapala, “I’m not sure if we really need to aim for that number.”

He believes that the strategy should concentrate on how many visitors the nation can handle annually, given the supply of hotels, services, and personnel, all without packing the attractions to capacity.

Sri Lanka’s limited resources make an unplanned and sudden increase in tourism potentially harmful. For example, the government’s ambitious plans do not include waste management and crowd control.

According to a University of Kelaniya study, hotels, guest houses, and restaurants in Unawatuna, a well-known southern tourist destination, discharge their waste into bodies of water without adequate drainage systems, contaminating both surface and groundwater.

Scholars have frequently mentioned the detrimental impacts of tourism, such as foreign visitors stealing jobs from locals and working illegally. With varying degrees of success, governments worldwide are enacting laws and policies to combat illegal employment.

For example, when Sri Lanka saw a spike in Russian and Ukrainian tourists following the 2022 conflict, there were rumours that individuals from both nations were allegedly bribing immigration officials to get resident visas and operating unlicensed, unregistered hotels and restaurants that avoided paying taxes. If not, a long-term tourist visa is only good for six months.

Working as a tourist is prohibited in Sri Lanka, although many foreign visitors work as therapists, DJs, bartenders, surfers, and photographers. Many Russian visitors frequently spend their money in Russian-owned establishments, which then send the money home.

The public was outraged by a Russian-run cafe’s “whites-only” party in 2024. Russians and Ukrainians were ordered to leave the country or apply for new visas by the Department of Immigration and Emigration, but then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe resisted the order.

In 2024, the number of Israeli tourists visiting Sri Lanka doubled to 20,000, with many of them being off-duty soldiers seeking refuge from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Arugam Bay, a small surf town in eastern Sri Lanka with 4,000 residents, mostly Muslims, is now home to about 1,000 Israelis. Surfing etiquette disputes between local surfers and visitors have been reported.

According to Gnanapala, while foreign visitors are establishing businesses in the country, locals are searching for employment overseas. Brain drain is still a major problem in the travel and tourism sector.

Every year, thousands of locals, including highly qualified professionals with industry training, depart Sri Lanka because living in these tourist-heavy areas is difficult for them due to the low pay and unfavourable working conditions.

According to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, over 311,000 Sri Lankans looked for work overseas in 2024.

Additionally, local tourists are being priced out more and more. Locals can no longer afford the limited hotel rooms available because high tourist demand drives up prices, Gnanapala noted.

Real estate costs gradually rise in tandem with the cost of goods and services, pushing residents from their homes. This has also discouraged local tourists from visiting the southern part of the country.

In his explanation of the future, Gnanapala stressed the value of integrating locals in the growth of tourism and offering strategies that would directly benefit them while lessening the negative effects on the environment, culture, and natural resources.

“Their primary concern is to make profits,” he said, referring to outsiders, including foreigners and Sri Lankans from other regions, who open hotels. However, for the locals, it is their birthplace, their home, and their land.

“The local economy can benefit greatly from tourism, but it can also suffer negative effects,” Ismail stated.

The island’s identity is being eroded, in her opinion, by the growing number of foreign visitors.

She claimed that qualities like health, Ayurveda, and a relationship with nature are “marketed as foreign concepts…making Sri Lankans feel like outsiders in their own country.”

Instead of displacing local culture, tourism should enhance it.

“At the moment, I think [tourism] is taking away a lot more than it’s giving,” photographer de Mel continued.

She stated that Sri Lanka must “think about the type of tourists we attract, the type of tourism we want,” and strategically position itself.

Activist Riz Razak recently expressed similar worries on Instagram, highlighting the necessity of improved planning, infrastructure, and regulations to stop the increase in undocumented foreign labour.

“What do we gain by letting outsiders in and losing everything natural, historical, and cultural?” he asked.

In a critical move towards securing the next payout of a $2.09 billion programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sri Lanka’s power regulator has announced a 15% increase in household power tariffs.

According to KPL Chandralal, the chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, businesses in the tourism sector, which is a major source of foreign exchange earnings for the island nation, will see a 202% increase in power prices, while industries will see a 205% hike. The new tariffs will take effect at midnight.

In January, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s new government in Sri Lanka slashed power prices by 20%, which caused the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board, which controls the nation’s power monopoly, to face cost recovery issues.

A crucial first step Sri Lanka took to gain board-level approval for a fifth tranche of $344 million from the IMF was to raise power rates. Following a bailout from the international lender in March 2023, Sri Lanka’s economy recovered more quickly than anticipated after collapsing under a severe foreign exchange crisis in 2022 and expanded by 5% in 2024.

The post Tourism booms in Sri Lanka, but who benefits? appeared first on International Finance.

International Finance caught up with The Clock Towers Complex CEO Eng. Waleed Al-Harthi, who shared his insights on the high-profile deal, the company’s goals, and more.

Your SAR 6 billion syndicated financing deal with Al Rajhi Bank and Alinma Bank marks a major milestone. What significance does this hold for The Clock Towers Complex?

This financing is a significant milestone for The Clock Towers Complex. It allows us to refinance existing debt, enhance working capital, and fund key development projects. This strengthens our financial position, providing greater flexibility to meet the growing demands of Makkah’s hospitality and retail sectors. Most importantly, it positions us to continue offering exceptional services to pilgrims and Umrah visitors, supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, particularly through the Pilgrim Experience Programme, which aims to enhance the journey for millions of visitors.

The Clock Towers Complex is a leader in Makkah’s hospitality and retail markets. How does this financing support your role, especially with Vision 2030’s goals and the Pilgrim Experience Programme in mind?

The Clock Towers Complex is a mixed-use complex that serves as a central terminal for pilgrims and tourists. With over 10,000 luxurious hotel rooms in iconic properties like the Fairmont Hotel, Raffles Makkah Palace, and Swissotel Makkah, alongside our renowned shopping mall, it provides a complete experience for visitors. This financing will help us expand and improve these assets to better serve the growing number of pilgrims and tourists. Vision 2030 aims to host 30 million Umrah visitors by 2030, and we are committed to playing a key role in the Pilgrim Experience Programme. This programme is focused on improving the pilgrimage journey, and our infrastructure is central to making that a reality.

How does The Clock Towers Complex align with the broader objectives of Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Programme?

Vision 2030 is centred around economic diversification, sustainability, and a strong focus on expanding tourism. The Clock Towers Complex plays an essential role in this transformation. As a mixed-use complex and a central terminal for pilgrims, we offer luxury accommodations, world-class retail experiences, and continuous investments in infrastructure, directly supporting the Kingdom’s vision. The Pilgrim Experience Programme is one of the key initiatives designed to improve the pilgrimage experience. We are proud to be part of this programme, as it enhances the services and facilities available to millions of pilgrims, ensuring Makkah remains a global hub for religious tourism while supporting Saudi Arabia’s broader economic goals.

Can you tell us more about the assets financed under this deal?

This financing supports key assets, including the iconic Makkah Clock Royal Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world, which serves as a central landmark in Makkah. It also includes renowned hotels such as the Fairmont Hotel, Raffles Makkah Palace, and Swissotel Makkah, which provide top-tier services to pilgrims and tourists. Our shopping mall and other operating assets play a vital role in enhancing the visitor experience. These investments ensure that we continue to meet the needs of the growing number of pilgrims and tourists, supporting the Pilgrim Experience Programme and positioning Makkah as a leading destination for travellers.

What role do you see The Clock Towers Complex playing in the future of Makkah, particularly with the Pilgrim Experience Programme?

The future is incredibly promising for The Clock Towers Complex. As Makkah continues to grow as a global tourism hub, we are committed to being a central player in that growth. With Vision 2030 aiming to host 30 million Umrah visitors, our role in the Pilgrim Experience Programme will be key. We will continue investing in hospitality, retail, and infrastructure, ensuring we meet the needs of a growing number of visitors. Our goal is to provide exceptional accommodations and services that make the pilgrimage experience as seamless and memorable as possible, supporting Makkah’s continued development as a world-class destination.

The post The Clock Towers Complex facilitates pilgrim journey appeared first on International Finance.

Distances And Transportation

Brazil’s vast geography presents significant barriers to international tourism. Its location far from major tourism markets like Europe, North America, and Asia makes flights long, expensive, and limited. This logistical difficulty is a significant deterrent, with few direct flights available, especially to the country’s northern and northeastern regions, despite growing interest in destinations like the Amazon and Fernando de Noronha. Once inside the country, tourists face additional challenges with expensive and limited domestic aviation and long, underdeveloped highways, making travel difficult and costly.

Feelings Of Insecurity And Violence

Safety concerns are a major deterrent. Brazil has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, which creates a perception of widespread violence. While violent crime is concentrated in certain areas, it can be hard for foreign tourists to distinguish between safe and unsafe zones. Moreover, warnings from countries like the US and the UK about the risks of robbery, scams, and kidnappings exacerbate these fears. On a more subtle level, tourists often encounter smaller-scale scams, like price gouging and services falling short of expectations, adding to their unease.

Inadequate Services

Language barriers and a lack of tourism services tailored to foreign visitors are a third issue. With only 1% of Brazilians fluent in English, many tourists struggle to navigate the country. Most services are designed for Brazilian tourists, leaving international visitors with fewer options that cater to their tastes or needs. While it’s understandable that domestic tourism is prioritised, this imbalance dilutes the presence of foreign tourists and reduces the availability of services tailored to international preferences. The lack of comprehensive online information or multilingual services exacerbates these challenges.

Costs

Brazil isn’t cheap for international travellers, particularly those expecting an affordable, high-quality experience. While it’s not as expensive as destinations like Switzerland or Japan, it also doesn’t offer the low prices of countries like Indonesia or India. Public transport is affordable but often unreliable or unsafe, while quality tourism services tend to be pricey. This creates a perception that Brazil doesn’t offer the best value for money, which can push tourists towards cheaper, more efficient destinations.

Erratic Promotion Of The Country

The lack of a consistent and cohesive marketing strategy is the fifth major issue. Unlike other tourism giants that have created strong, positive images over decades, Brazil’s international promotion has been inconsistent and underdeveloped. Emotional factors, such as perceptions of a location’s friendliness, cultural vibrancy, and tranquillity—all areas where Brazil could excel—are increasingly influencing tourists. However, without consistent, strategic promotion, Brazil fails to establish itself as a dream destination for potential travellers.

Retaliatory Visas

In October 2023, the Brazilian government decided to impose tourist visas on visitors from the US, Japan, Australia, and Canada. This decision faced strong criticism from the tourism industry, with many arguing that it would discourage international travellers and reduce Brazil’s competitiveness as a tourist destination.

The visa requirement, which was to take effect on October 1, was to reverse a previous policy implemented in 2019 by former President Jair Bolsonaro. He had exempted these countries from visa requirements to boost tourism and promote reciprocity.

The decision was particularly surprising given Brazil’s efforts to recover from the pandemic and attract more international visitors. The country experienced a significant increase in tourism arrivals in 2023, and the visa requirement was seen as a setback for these efforts.

Industry experts expressed concerns about the potential negative impact of the visa requirement on tourism revenue and job creation. They argued that the added inconvenience and expense of obtaining a visa would deter many travellers, especially those planning short trips.

Despite the criticism, the Brazilian government defended its decision, citing reciprocity as the primary motivation. They argued that Brazilians needed visas to travel to these countries, and imposing a similar requirement on their citizens was necessary to maintain a fair and balanced relationship.

The decision also highlighted the delicate balance between national security and tourism promotion. While visas can be seen as a security measure, they can also hinder tourism by creating additional bureaucratic hurdles for travellers.

Tourism Flourishes Despite The Odds

The Central Bank stated on Wednesday that from January to August, foreign tourists brought in an unprecedented BRL 26.2 billion (USD 4.8 billion) to Brazil. This record-breaking spending shows Brazil’s tourism revival and international visitors’ growing interest in its numerous attractions.

Over 4.45 million overseas visitors visited Brazil in the first eight months, boosting tourism earnings. This is a 10.7% rise from 2023, indicating a robust recovery and revived interest in Brazil as a vacation destination.

Even more astonishing, this figure exceeds pre-pandemic tourist numbers by 1% from January to August 2019. This little but significant growth shows that Brazil’s tourist business has revived and is thriving much beyond forecasts.

The Brazilian government recognised this milestone as a sign of tourism resurgence. The surge in foreign visitors and their economic contributions bodes well for Brazil’s worldwide tourism.

The Brazilian government expects tourism earnings to exceed this year’s record USD 6.9 billion in 2024. Brazil’s National Tourism Plan seeks to make it South America’s top tourist destination by 2027, and a rise in foreign visitors supports this hopeful prognosis. Brazil wants to outperform Colombia and Argentina in international tourism to become a worldwide hub.

Brazil receives the most foreign tourists from Argentina, the US, and Chile. Despite these robust inflows, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration has created controversy by attempting to reintroduce visa requirements for US, Canadian, and Australian tourists. Former President Jair Bolsonaro eased visa requirements in 2019 to increase tourism by facilitating travel to major overseas markets.

Although visa reinstatement was scheduled to start sooner, it has been repeatedly postponed. By April 2025, US, Canadian, and Australian visas will be required. This delay allowed stakeholders to discuss the impact on Brazil’s tourism sector.

Leaders in Brazil’s tourism, hotel, and aviation sectors are opposing visa restrictions for US tourists. Many believe that requiring visas could deter travellers and negatively impact Brazil’s tourism industry. Since the US is one of Brazil’s main sources of international visitors, these industries are concerned that the policy could harm tourist revenue.

To overcome its stagnation in international tourism, Brazil needs a holistic approach. Addressing these issues in isolation—improving transport infrastructure, increasing safety, or enhancing services—won’t suffice. Tourism success requires tackling these factors to create an appealing and cohesive visitor experience. Developing countries like Brazil, where citizens face daily struggles, find it harder to create tourism enclaves like Bali or Cancun, and this model has become politically unfeasible in Brazil. Instead, focusing on an integrated approach that addresses the needs of international tourists while ensuring benefits for the local population will be key to Brazil’s success as a global tourism destination.

The post IF Insights: Why Brazil struggles to attract international tourists despite its riches appeared first on International Finance.

This represents a change from previous immigration laws that have been denounced as being xenophobic.

The introduction of a remote work visa and the implementation of a new points-based system for work visas, which determines eligibility automatically if you meet certain requirements, are among the immediate changes.

He stated that both of these initiatives should be completed in “a matter of days.”

Attract Skills, Tourists

“Visa reform to attract tourists, to attract capital, to attract skills are some of the most powerful things we can do in the short term to kickstart economic growth,” Schreiber told Reuters in an interview.

Currently, foreigners who receive job offers in South Africa may have to wait months or even years to receive a visa, and their requests may occasionally be denied for unclear reasons.

Visas for Western tourists are typically easily obtained upon arrival; however, visitors from China and India, two potentially lucrative markets, must submit off-putting paperwork upon arrival.

The nation has a reputation for being particularly hostile to immigrants from other African nations, who are occasionally accused of “stealing” jobs with a third of the population unemployed.

“It’s a false dichotomy to suggest that we cannot grow the economy and at the same time combat xenophobia,” Schreiber said, adding that bringing in skilled foreigners can help create jobs.

The Democratic Alliance party, which Schreiber belongs to, was the recognised opposition until it partnered with the African National Congress in a coalition government in 2024. Campaigners for human rights criticised both parties for having anti-immigrant sentiment in their election platforms.

According to Schreiber, the current system is a “catastrophic failure” that excludes the very people that South Africa needs.

He claimed that South Africa had a backlog of 306,000 visas that had been built for more than ten years when he took office in July 2024. His team has now reportedly made it through 62% of those by bringing in reinforcements and working overtime.

The post South Africa introducing visa reforms to boost economy: Minister Leon Schreiber appeared first on International Finance.

October 13, 2016: Alipay, the world’s leading mobile payment platform run by Ant Financial Services Group, has partnered with Zapper, the fast growing consumer insights and marketing platform which is enabled by mobile payments. This partnership will allow over 250,000 Chinese tourists visiting the UK to pay using the Alipay app in over 1,000 locations nationwide.

Zapper is the first European mobile partner, allowing over 450 million active Alipay users to pay via the Alipay app across its full estate of affiliated Zapper businesses in the UK, Europe and North America. The partnership demonstrates a strong synergy between both brands in terms of innovative and mobile based QR code technology. With over 85% of mobile payments in China currently made by scanning a QR code, the customer journey will be identical for Alipay users when purchasing goods and services using Zapper.

“With Zapper as a partner, Alipay can further enhance our user experience as they can conveniently shop outside of China and pay with Alipay,” Rita Liu, Head of Alipay EMEA, said. “Meanwhile, merchants, in addition to the Alipay payment solution, can better connect and understand hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists travelling to the UK.”

Scanning a QR code to make simple and secure payments has been the ‘norm’ with Alipay users in China for the last 12 years. Zapper currently provides a similar experience for its near 1 million users across 10 different countries and 12,000 affiliated businesses. With Zapper’s smart QR technology enabled to take payments from the Alipay app, 11.7 million Chinese tourists visiting Europe each year will be able to conveniently pay using Alipay at any venue also accepting Zapper.

Zapper has tie-ups with thousands of restaurants internationally.

Gerry Hooper, CEO Zapper UK & Ireland, said, “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us, pioneering the way by combining our synonymous QR code payment technology. A huge development enabling Chinese tourists to seamlessly continue using the highly popular Alipay app when travelling to the UK and our partnered Zapper venues to appeal more favorably to travelling Alipay users and stand out from the competition.”

According to VisitBritain, more than 250,000 Chinese tourists visited the UK in 2015, an increase in 45% from the previous year and spending a total of £586.22m. With an ever-increasing demand to visit the UK, this gives venues such as Burger & Lobster, CAU, The Big Easy, Vinoteca, Camino and Iberica, already benefiting from Zapper, the ability to strengthen their appeal to the Chinese market.

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