{"id":13122,"date":"2023-10-11T13:00:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=13122"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:05:12","slug":"are-chinese-tourists-coming-back-to-the-uk-post-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/are-chinese-tourists-coming-back-to-the-uk-post-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Chinese tourists returning to the UK post-Covid?"},"content":{"rendered":"

China\u2019s National Day Holiday \u2013 better known as \u2018Golden Week\u2019 \u2013 usually sees a wave of Chinese tourists visit the UK, but this year, fewer than expected have arrived. Tom Pattinson<\/strong> finds out why<\/h2>\n

Pre-covid, China\u2019s international tourism spend, at \u00a3225 billion, was the most of any country in the world \u2013 almost double that of the USA in second place, whose citizens collectively spent \u00a3117 billion in 2019. Much of that spending went to China\u2019s Asian neighbours, with Thailand, Japan and Vietnam making up the top three foreign travel destinations for Chinese travellers.<\/p>\n

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But thanks to Europe\u2019s Schengen visa system that allows Chinese tourists to visit 27 EU countries on one visa, more and more tourists from China have been flying further afield to appreciate the history, culture, cuisine and, most importantly, shopping in Europe, with France being the number one European destination.<\/p>\n

Although the UK doesn\u2019t belong to Schengen, inbound tourism to the UK from China has also risen drastically in recent years, rising from 192,000 visits in 2009 to 1.01 million in 2019. This is in part due to the rapidly growing number of middle-class Chinese who have the spending power to travel, but also because Britain has been at the forefront of attracting the deep-pocketed tourists to our shores, with a wealth of experiential<\/a> offerings, from attending football games and whisky tastings to visiting royal palaces.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s soft power has done a lot to attract tourists, but now a concerted effort is being made to ease the path for Chinese tourists to visit the UK. Initiatives including Chinese language signage, specially created apps, WeChat and Alipay payment options, and even Chinese breakfasts at hotels are all helping to attract China\u2019s new generation of wealthy tourists.<\/p>\n