China

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) was suspended on 16 March 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic until the start of 2021. The ONS have made every effort to produce high-quality estimates for the periods when IPS data is not being collected but have not been able to produce a full set of results. See the 2020 inbound page for more information.

The 2021 data is ‘incomplete’ as Eurotunnel data was unavailable for Q1 to Q3 but modelled for Q4. In addition, interviewing at Dover restarted from Q3 2021 and pseudo records for the Irish land border were also removed in 2021. More info can be found on the 2021 inbound page.

For 2022, Eurotunnel data was modelled for the first half of the year and the latest data can be found on the monthly and quarterly pages. Interviewing at Eurostar was not affected by Covid-19 restrictions in 2021 or the first half of 2022. The ONS restarted IPS interviews at all ports from July 2022.

Due to the above, the latest full year IPS data below is from 2019.

Visitor characteristics

Chinese visitors tend to be younger than the average visitor to the UK: 43% of visits from China were made by people aged 16-34 years old in 2019
Those visiting Britain from China are more likely than average to be making their first visit: only 29% 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
78% of departing visitors from China (excluding British expats) were ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Britain for a visit in 2017

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Sightseeing of Famous Buildings/ Monuments

Went Shopping

Global context


Measure	2019
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)	254.6
Global rank for international tourism expenditure	1
Number of outbound visits incl. Hong Kong and Macao (m)	104.2
Number of outbound visits excl. Hong Kong and Macao (m)	74.8
Most visited destination overall	Hong Kong
Most visited destination overall (excl. Hong Kong and Macao)	Thailand
Most visited destination in Western Europe	France

Key demographic and economic data


Measure	2021
Population (m)	1,444.7
GDP per capita PPP (US$)	17,689
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)	6.7
Annual GDP growth (%)	8.1

China Market Profile (PDF, 5.7MB)

China Market Snapshot (PDF, 1.68MB)

China Aviation Profile (PDF, 1.39MB)

China COVID-19 Travel Sentiment (PDF, 479KB, Published April 2022)

Find out where visitors from China to the UK reside in their own country (Excel, 176KB, Published 2017)

Find out whether the visa application process is a barrier for potential Chinese visitors (PDF, 1.37MB, Published 2012)

Please note that the reports below have not been updated with the 2009-2018 revised IPS data. For more information, please visit about the international passenger survey

Learn more about the role culture plays for Chinese visitors (PDF, 3.14MB, Published 2016)

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 8.3818 CNY

As of 27 January 2023

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain from China

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Number of visits

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Total expenditure (GBP)

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Average spend per visit (GBP)

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What the Chinese think about Britain

Chinese perceptions of Britain dropped in the 2021 Anholt Nation Brands Index, ranking it tenth overall compared to 60 nations; a reduction of 9 ranks compared to 2020. However, Britain was ranked fourth for 'contemporary culture'
The Chinese associate Britain highly with ‘museums’, and also 'films', 'opera', and 'music'
The Chinese expect that a trip to Britain would be 'romantic' and 'relaxing'
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 long-haul travellers for their convenience and help they provide on language barriers or visa processes
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, to prepare business cards to exchange, and to be punctual and well-prepared

Access to Britain from China


Measure	2019
Weekly aircraft departures	86
Weekly seat capacity	23,191
Airports with direct routes in China	13
Airports with direct routes in Britain	4

In 2019, the highest share of departing seats were from the Beijing to London Heathrow route, with a 30% share
Out of all the airlines to operate the China to Britain route in 2019, Air China served the most departing seats
In 2019, two additional airports began serving routes to the UK: Beijing Daxing International and Zhengzhou
Weekly aircraft departures increased by 23% in 2019, compared to 2018
In 2019, the highest rate of flight departures took place in July-September
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 78% reduction in direct seat capacity from China to the UK in 2020, and 2021 was 95% behind pre-COVID levels
Departing Britain for China by air incurs an Air Passenger Duty of £84 in economy class
Visitors from China require a visa to visit Britain. Since 2016 a scheme automatically upgrades Chinese applications for a six-month standard visa to a two-year multi-entry one, at the same cost (£100)

Markets

China