British Tourism Taps Into Chinese Market

The China Mission will take in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, where a series of business to business appointments will help capture business from the rapidly growing urban middle class and the estimated 535,000 High Net Worth individuals. It is the largest mission to be taken to China by VisitBritain.

The delegation will include 32 organisations, including national and regional tourist boards, city and tourist attraction organisations, hotel groups and specialist tour operators. Emphasising the importance of our Chinese visitors to the retail sector, six major retail groups, including department stores Selfridge and Harrods, Westfield London, Bicester Village, McArthur Glen and the Bloomsbury Group (owner of luxury boutiques such as House of Hanover and House of Cashmere) are taking part in the mission.

The average Chinese visitor to Britain spends around £1,700 more than three times the global average (£567). We can also see strong growth from the Chinese market visitor numbers increased by 23% last year and by a further 23% in the first nine months of this year. Forecasts suggest that by 2020 Britain could be welcoming almost 300,000 visitors a year.