UK to receive boost in inflow of tourists from China during Golden Week, says VisitBritain
The UK is expected to receive an increase inflow of tourist from China during the Golden Week which is a prime time of travel for the Chinese, according to VisitBritain.
UK to receive boost in inflow of tourists from China during Golden Week, says VisitBritain / VisitBritain
China already features into the UK's top 10 most valuable inbound visitor markets last year with visits reaching a 337,000, up 29% on 2016, and spending up 35% to a record £694m.
This further boosts VisitBritain’s ambition is to grow spend from Chinese visitors to £1bn annually by 2020.
The most popular activity amongst the Chinese in UK is shopping followed by dining in restaurants, visiting parks or gardens, and museums or galleries. Chinese visitors are almost three times as likely to buy bags and purses in the UK than the average visitor and twice as likely to buy personal accessories.
Tourism is worth £127bn to the UK economy, creating jobs and boosting economic growth across its nations and regions.
According to the latest statistics by VisitBritain, there were a record number of visits from China to the UK in the first quarter of 2018. From January to March this year there were 68,000 visits from China, up 24% on the same period last year, with visitors spending a record £96m, up 4%.
Meanwhile, the latest flight booking data from ForwardKeys shows that flight bookings from China to the UK for September 2018 to February 2019 were tracking 5% up on the same period a year ago.
VisitBritain director Patricia Yates said: “We want the UK to be top of the list for Chinese travellers, building on the strong growth we have seen and delivering a world-class visitor experience through increasing route connectivity and airline seat-capacity.
"Working with partners such as Ctrip we are also converting the aspiration to visit the UK into bookings and inspiring more visitors from China to book a trip right now. With our hotels and shops, our visitor attractions and accommodation offering good value for Chinese travellers it is a great time to come to the UK.”
Earlier, VisitBritain courted Chinese tourists with mandarin translations. VisitBritain also invited Chinese tourists to give new Chinese names to UK attractions including Balmoral, Blackpool and Loch Lomond.