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China

China

Visitor characteristics

  • Chinese visitors tend to be younger than the average visitor to the UK: over 4-in-10 visits from China were made by people aged 16-34 years old in 2017
  • Those visiting Britain from China are more likely than average to be making their first visit: only 30% of the holidaymakers from China departing the UK in 2015 (excluding British expats) had already visited the UK within the past 10 years
  • Almost all holiday visitors from China are Chinese nationals
  • 77% of departing staying holidaymakers from China (excluding British expats) were ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Britain for a holiday or short-break in 2015

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Visited Parks/ Gardens

Went Shopping

Global context

Measure2017
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)257.7
Global rank for international tourism expenditure1
Number of outbound visits incl. Hong Kong and Macao (m)88.9
Number of outbound visits excl. Hong Kong and Macao (m)59.6
Most visited destination overallHong Kong
Most visited destination overall (excl. Hong Kong and Macao)Thailand
Most visited destination in Western EuropeFrance

Key demographic and economic data

Measure2018
Population (m)1,415.6
GDP per capita PPP (US$)15,583
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)7.9
Annual average GDP growth in the past year (%)6.5

Resources

China Market Profile (PDF, 1,6MB, published November 2018)

visitbritain_marketprofile_china_nov2018.pdf

China market snapshot

china_snapshot_oct2018.pdf

Find out where visitors from China to the UK reside in their own country. Published 2018 (Excel, 0.2MB)

annual_states_of_residence_2017_for_web.xlsx

More resources

Learn more about the role culture plays for Chinese visitors. Published 2016

foresight_145_-_leveraging_our_culture_brazil_china_italy.pdf

Discover which aspects of Britain resonate with Chinese visitors. Published October 2013

2013-10 Profiling China’s leisure travellers_0.pdf

Find out whether the visa application process is a barrier for potential Chinese visitors. Published 2012

china_visa_research_presentation.pdf

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 8.8788 CNY

As of 22 March 2019

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain

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Seasonality (Share of visits)

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Regional spread (Share of visits)

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Journey purpose (Share of visits)

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What the Chinese think about Britain

  • Chinese respondents to the 2017 Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index usually hold a positive opinion of  Britain as they ranked it fourth overall compared to 49 other nations
    Britain even ranks third for their perceptions of both tourism in Britain and the British culture, the latter ranking improving one place on 2016
  • The Chinese associate Britain highly with ‘museums’, and also music and films
  • The Chinese are more likely to expect a trip to Britain to be 'spiritual' or 'romantic' than is the typical inbound visitor
  • Key motivators of holidays include ‘enjoying the beauty of the landscape’, ‘feeling connected to nature’ and ‘having fun and laughter’, with Australia considered the ‘best place’ to indulge in all three

Caring for visitors

  • It is important to appreciate cultural differences
  • Visitors appreciate ‘support’ in the form of Chinese language facilities (signage, Mandarin-speaking staff, Chinese TV channels, for example)
  • Spicy food is a favourite, and if the younger and more aflluent Chinese travellers are more exposed to the Western culture and food, there is still a preference for Chinese food among many
  • Mobile payments are becoming more and more popular in China, and travellers appreciate being able to use those abroad as well

The leisure & travel trade

  • If the FIT (Free and Independent Travel) segment keeps growing, travel agents still play a vital role in China, especially among the first-time outbound travellers as they offer more convenience and value, and help them address any language barriers, visa preparation, or knowledge gaps
  • There are 200+ recognised travel agents under the ‘Approved Destination Status’ agreement in China: they 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
  • Being punctual and well-prepared is very appreciated, and exchanging business cards is important

Access to Britain from China

Measure2017
Weekly aircraft departures61
Weekly seat capacity16,027
Airports with direct routes in China5
Airports with direct routes in Britain3
  • Direct seat capacity from China to Britain has grown by almost 64% since 2012 thanks to new flights, including flights from Guangzhou to London Heathrow, from Beijing to Manchester, from Chongqing to London Gatwick, and from Qingdao to London Heathrow*
  • Eight airlines currently operate flights from China to Britain
  • In 2018, new direct, non-stop routes have been added from Changsha, Sanya, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Xi'an, and to Edinburgh
    Departing Britain for China by air incurs an Air Passenger Duty of £78 in economy class
  • Visitors from China require a visa to visit Britain. Since 2016 a new scheme automatically upgrades Chinese applications for a six-month standard visa to a two-year multi-entry one, at the same cost (£93)

*2017 data

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