VisitBritain hosts tourism mission to China & first trade event to South Korea in more than five years

VisitBritain is next week hosting its largest ever tourism mission to China, followed by its first trade event to South Korea in more than five years.

More than 80 travel trade and industry suppliers from the UK including hotels, retailers and tour operators are set to showcase what makes Britain a GREAT destination to Chinese buyers at VisitBritain’s annual ‘Destination Britain China’ event, this year being held in Shanghai from Monday 21st to Wednesday 23rd November.

More than 7,000 business appointments will take place during the three-day trade fair, giving more than 100 buyers from 15 cities across China the chance to see the latest tourism products and services from across the UK – more than half of which are attending for the first time. Suppliers from Birmingham, Canterbury, Dorset and London to Leeds, the Lake District, Northumberland and Inverness are attending to name but a few.

About 30 travel trade and industry suppliers will then travel to South Korea to the event in Seoul on 25 November with up to 80 South Korean tour operators in attendance.

VisitBritain Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said:

“Our Destination Britain China and South Korea event gives British travel suppliers the chance to forge valuable business connections with the Chinese and South Korean travel trade.”

“Britain is offering great value for our long-haul high value markets. This is a fantastic opportunity for travel suppliers and local destinations to get their tourism products and services in front of international buyers, showcase their local areas and ultimately inspire more visitors to come and explore more of our nations and regions.”

Destination Britain China has been running since 2009 and is an important event in VisitBritain’s travel industry calendar. As well as doing business with top travel buyers in China, delegates at this year’s event will hear about the latest international travel market trends, what the UK is doing to attract more international visitors to all its nations and regions, alongside seminars and networking to boost knowledge of Britain as a tourist destination.

Last year was a record-breaking year for visits from China to the UK with 270,000 visits, 46% up on the year before with spend up 18% to £586 million – moving China into Britain’s top 10 most valuable inbound markets for the first time. And latest flight booking data from ForwardKeys shows that flight bookings from China for November this year to January 2017 are up 17% on the same period last year. When considering the Christmas period 18 December to 31 December 2016 – flight bookings from China to the UK are up 37% compared to the same period last year.

VisitBritain has ambitions to double spend from Chinese visitors to £1 billion by 2020.

The trade event in South Korea signals a new start to VisitBritain’s promotional effort in this market, one of Britain’s fastest growing inbound markets for the UK. There is strong demand from the Korean travel trade to feature new British regional product in their programmes.

The UK saw a record 224,000 visits from South Korea in 2015, up 11% on 2014 with visitors spending £137 million.

Inbound tourism is worth more than £26 billion to the UK economy.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Delegates attending Destination Britain China 2016

Alnwick Castle

An English Collection

Apex Hotels Ltd

Bateaux London

Battered Suitcase

Birmingham Airport

British Airways

China Britain Travel Group (Hello Britain Ltd)

China Perfect Travel

CHR Travel LLP

City Cruises

City Sightseeing Worldwide

Cruise Loch Lomond Ltd

Dorsett Hotels

Dropit Shopping

Dufry / World Duty Free

ECE International LLC

EG TRAVEL LIMITED

English Heritage

English Lakes Hotels

Experience Oxfordshire

GHS

glh. Hotels

Go 2 Scotland

Golden Tours

Gretna Green Famous Blacksmiths Shop

Hackney Walk

HAINAN AIRLINES

Historic Royal Palaces

Historic Scotland

It's the way to Britain

Jurys Inns

Lake District Estates - Ullswater Steamers

Leeds Castle

Leisure Pass Group

London Luxury Quarter - By Appointment

London’s West End, Seven Dials, Carnaby & Chinatown

made

Marketing Birmingham

Marketing Liverpool

Marketing Manchester

Mountain Goat Ltd

NET-A-PORTER.COM

Northern England

Rail Europe

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

Royal Highland Hotel

Sally Everton Associates

Saltours International

see world ltd

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust & Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Shakespeare's England

The Alnwick Garden

The Beatles Story

The Gainsborough Bath Spa & Hotel

The Midland Hotel

The National Trust for Scotland

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Tourism Ireland

Tourism South East

UK Visas and Immigration

Virgin Atlantic

Visit Bath

Visit Kent

Visit Wales

Visit York

VisitBritain

VisitBritain Shop

VisitLeeds

VisitScotland

VOSAIO Travel Ltd - Northern and Western China

VOSAIO Travel Ltd - Southern China and Hong Kong

Waddesdon Manor

Wangping Travel Limited

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter

Westfield Europe Ltd

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum & Tour

Windermere Lake Cruises

World of Beatrix Potter Attraction

Delegates attending the event in Seoul, South Korea 2016