Gold jewellery sales fall 40% in Dubai due to tourist shortfall

Gold jewellery sales in Dubai are down around 40 percent in May on a year ago, hit by higher prices for the precious metal and fewer tourists with smaller budgets, retailers said on Sunday.

Branded as the City of Gold, the streets of Dubai's Gold Souk are getting fewer visitors, particularly foreigners who account for a large number of the visitors to Dubai's souk.

"Just walk around the market here you will hardly find any tourists," said Sanjay Jity, a shop keeper from Al Khaledyah Jewellery in the old souk, or market.

"The price of gold is too high and people have no money, that's why we are seeing a slowdown in the market and our sales have gone down by 40 percent," said Viral Bhalani, a shop keeper at Hem's Jewelry in the old souk.

Some Dubai jewllery shops may face closure, as do their competitors in the United Arab Emirates' capital of Abu Dhabi.

On a global level gold prices have risen around 40 percent to around $957 an ounce as of Friday from a low near $680 in October, as investors used the yellow metal as a safe haven during a time of economic uncertainty.

"Retailers are suffering becasue of the current high prices," said Pradeep Unni, a trader from Richcomm Global Services.

In effort to stimulate business, shops in Duabi are offering discounts. "I was offered more than a 50 percent discount on a gold ring I bought," said Christine Rattray, a Scottish tourist.

"We are basically cutting our profit margins on the design of a piece of jewellery and in many cases selling at a loss just to keep customers coming back," said another shop keeper at Shyam Jewelers, also in the old souk.

He said many store owners in the market were in negotiations with the government to lower rents. "I think we are going to see a recovery by 2010, but until then we need lower rents, otherwise we might shut down," he said.

Demand for gold in the Middle East fell 26 percent year-on-year during the first quarter, bucking a global trend that saw demand increase as investors bought gold as a safe haven from the economic maelstrom, the World Gold Council (WGC) said in its quarterly report on Wednesday.

Both jewellery and investment recorded similar percentage declines, with a fall of 26 percent to 49.5 tonnes and 28 percent to 4.1 tonnes respectively, it said.

Gold refiners in the Middle East have bought record volumes of scrap from overseas and the global economic crisis has forced some cash-strapped consumers to sell their jewellery.

"My family is a bit tight on cash these days that's why I'm selling bracelets my husband bought me for my wedding," said Hamidia Omran, a Jordanian housewife living in Dubai. She went to the souk on Sunday to sell the gold bands.

"Gold is really important to a woman but it's a good price to sell at and when things get better I'll buy more back." (Editing by Simon Webb and Dan Lalor)

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