MAKE LONDON GREAT AGAIN: London may be one of the most exciting shopping cities in the world, and a money-spinner for all of Britain, but retailers and other consumer businesses are burned up about what they say is a lack of support from the government.

New West End Company, which lobbies for more than 800 retail, leisure, hospitality and real estate businesses in and around Oxford Circus and Regent Street, is calling on the government to take action with a new report called “Open for Growth: Powering the West End for the Nation.”

The report said the West End generates 3 percent of the U.K.’s total economic output; supports more than 350,000 jobs; and generates around 17 billion pounds in taxes that fund services and infrastructure across the country. London, it added, is also a capital of culture and innovation, but needs better policies to survive. And tourists, in particular, need a better deal.

The West End, it said, pulls above its weight in London’s tourism economy as the first-choice destination for millions of international tourists, with international visitors to the West End growing by 11.8 percent in 2025.

But in a survey of 12 international tourist cities, London ranked as one of the most expensive for a three-night break. It also has the highest public transport costs and no shopping-incentive program following the cancellation of tax-free shopping after Brexit.

To make London more attractive, NWEC is proposing an overnight visitor levy that it is “proportionate, in line with global standards, and reinvested back into the areas where it’s generated.” It is also calling for the reinstatement of tax-free shopping for international shoppers, and exploring an alternative shopping scheme to encourage spend across retail, hospitality and leisure across the country.

Dee Corsi, chief executive officer of NWEC, said the potential for growth and impact is “exponential,” but there needs to be a policy framework that is globally competitive. “Without this, money allocated to London and the U.K. [by tourists] gets redirected abroad to the likes of Paris, Tokyo, New York and Singapore. Through working closely with local and national government, we can create a West End that will drive Britain forward.”