All eyes were on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last week, as the royal couple completed a tour of India and Bhutan. But, while their exploration of the two countries was fascinating to watch, what really got people talking were the outfits the Duchess, née Kate Middleton, wore.Kate, 34, turned to her favourite designers – including Jenny Packham and Alice Temperley – and also sent the business of one local brand skyrocketing. After she was pictured playing cricket in a gorgeous red dress designed by Anita Dongre, her website crashed.
Duchess Kate wore an Anita Dongre dress - sending the designer's website into meltdown
Anita later told the Wall Street Journal: "The factory is just producing the dress now. Everyone is focusing on that. It is all we are producing now. "During the trip Kate also wore some high street brands – and each time she was pictured wearing something new, it sold out within hours.
Now experts believe India and Bhutan are going to become popular destinations
But the 'Kate Effect' is nothing new; it's been a constant presence since she and Prince William announced their engagement in November 2010, and Newsweek later estimated the frenzy contributes more than £1 billion to the fashion industry each year.
And it's not just fashion. As well as wanting to look and dress like the Duchess, people want to live like her.
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According to travel experts, Kate and William spark huge spikes in tourism whenever they visit a new destination. Opodo revealed that, following the Duke and Duchess's trip to Sydney in 2014, holiday bookings to Australia increased by 45 per cent.Lukas Balter told BT: "This current trip undertaken by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is casting the spotlight on two beautiful countries which, you might say, are often overlooked as travel destinations – but not for long."