Europeans are flocking to U.S. stores for Christmas shopping because the dollar's weakness makes the U.S. look like a bargain basement to them, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The British pound Thursday hit a 14-year high against the dollar, and the euro has hovered around historic highs.

Travel agents, airlines and hotels are marketing heavily to bring overseas shoppers to the U.S. in the hope that the lure of a pair of Levi's jeans that costs half what it does in Europe will override America's onerous entry requirements for foreigners, said the report.

At a Holiday Inn near the Mall of America, the giant shopping center just outside Minneapolis, foreign tourists shopped so much this week that the hotel had to set aside four guest rooms to hold their suitcases after filling up its baggage-storage room, according to the report.

New York City's tourist board expects 7.3 million foreign visitors this year, up from 4.8 million in 2003, its low point after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The biggest single group by far are the British, and 95 percent of them say they go shopping during their visit -- while only 39 percent plan to visit a museum, says NYC & Co.

U.S. retailers are advertising overseas to grab the attention of Europeans planning their shopping trips. The Chelsea Premium Outlets, a chain that includes discount outlets in New York, Las Vegas and Chicago, is providing voucher booklets to 24 U.K. tour operators, double the number it offered last year.

Source: Xinhua