China
Intro
Travellers from China made 74.8 million outbound visits in 2019 (excluding Hong Kong and Macau), with a total international tourism expenditure of US$114.8 billion.
In 2022, the UK welcomed 46,986 visits from China. During the travellers’ visits, their total expenditure was £182.88 million, with an average spend of £3,892 per person.
Discover visitor behaviour, travel trade insights, detailed data visualisations for this market – and more. The statistics in this market report are collated from a range of sources such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as well as sponsored questions and our own research. For further details, see How we source this information.
Visitor characteristics
- Chinese visitors tend to be younger than the average visitor to the UK. 57% of visits from China were made by people aged 16-34 years old in 2022.
- Those visiting Britain from China are more likely than average to be making their first visit: only 29% of holidaymakers from China departing the UK in 2015 (excluding British expats) had already visited the UK within the past 10 years.
- The vast majority of holiday visitors from China are Chinese nationals.
- 78% of departing visitors from China (excluding British expats) were ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Britain for a visit in 2017.
Popular activities for this market
Dining in a restaurant.
Sightseeing of famous buildings and monuments.
Going shopping.
Explore the inbound data in full
Use our visualisations to see data from this market in greater depth and clarity. Compare annual statistics, and filter by age group, gender, trip duration and more. Includes seasonality, trip purpose and regional spread of visitors to UK destinations. This data is based on the International Passenger Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
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Perceptions of Britain in the Chinese market
- Chinese perceptions of Britain increased in the 2022 Anholt Nation Brands Index, ranking it sixth overall compared to 60 nations, an increase of four ranks compared to 2021.
- Britain was ranked fifth for ‘contemporary culture’ and ‘vibrant cities’ as well as ‘would visit if money was no object’.
- Chinese respondents associate Britain highly with ‘museums’, and also ‘opera’ and ‘films’. Chinese respondents expect that a trip to Britain would be ‘romantic’ and ‘relaxing’.
Global context
Top-level statistics relating to the population, GDP, tourism expenditure and popular destinations for this market. For greater detail on inbound tourism flows from this market to the UK, see our data visualisations.
Measure | 2019 |
International tourism expenditure (US$bn) | 254,6 |
Global rank for international tourism expenditure | 1 |
Number of outbound visits incl. Hong Kong & Macao (m) | 104.2 |
Number of outbound visits excl. Hong Kong & Macao (m) | 74.8 |
| Most visited destination overall | Hong Kong |
| Most visited destination overall (excl. Hong Kong & Macao) | Thailand |
| Most visited destination in Western Europe | France |
Key demographic and economic data
Measure | 2023 |
Population (m) | 1,426.6 |
GDP per capita PPP (US$) | 23,125 |
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%) | 6 |
Annual GDP growth (%) | 5.5 |
Caring for visitors
- It is important to appreciate cultural differences.
- Visitors appreciate ‘support’ in the form of Chinese language facilities (signage, Mandarin-speaking staff and Chinese TV channels for example).
- Spicy food is a favourite, and if the younger and more affluent Chinese travellers are more exposed to European culture and food, there is still a preference for Chinese food among many.
- Mobile payments are becoming increasingly popular in China, and travellers appreciate being able to use those abroad as well.
The leisure and travel trade
- If the FIT (Free and Independent Travel) segment keeps growing, travel agents will still play a vital role in China, especially among first-time long-haul travellers. This is due to the convenience and assistance that they provide regarding language barriers and visa processes.
- There are 200+ recognised travel agents under the ‘Approved Destination Status’ agreement in China. These are the only agents who can process leisure ADS visa applications, and thus operate leisure tours.
- If visiting the trade in China it is important to take an interpreter/guide, to prepare business cards to exchange, and to be punctual and well-prepared.
Access to Britain from China
The key routes and transport modes that connect this market with the UK.
Measure | 2023 |
Weekly aircraft departures | 57 |
Weekly seat capacity | 16,244 |
Airports with direct routes in China | 10 |
Airports with direct routes in Britain | 4 |
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 78% reduction in direct seat capacity from China to the UK in 2020. 2021 was 95% below pre-COVID levels and 2022 was 97% behind pre-pandemic levels.
- In 2023, capacity has shown signs of a quick recovery, now at 70% of pre-pandemic levels.
- The current reduced rate of Air Passenger Duty for visitors departing Britain for China is £87.
Further resources
China Market Profile.pdf
China Market Snapshot.pdf
China Aviation Profile.pdf
China COVID-19 Travel Sentiment.pdf
Where Chinese visitors reside.xlsx
China Visa Study.pdf
Leveraging Britain’s culture in China, Brazil & Italy.pdf
How we source this information
We work with a number of data sources to provide a rich and insightful picture of our key inbound source markets. This includes, but is not limited to, data provided by Oxford Economics, the UNWTO, Apex, Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index and from our own surveys and ad-hoc research. The largest share of the data comes from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) by the ONS.
Visit our About the International Passenger Survey page for more information on how the data is collected and analysed.
