An increasing number of Chinese tourists have traveled to Britain over the past few years thanks to deepened bilateral ties, making significant contributions to the British economy.[Special coverage]
The European country is expected to attract more Chinese visitors as President Xi Jinping's ongoing five-day state visit, the first by a Chinese head of state in a decade, has ushered in a "golden time" in China-Britain relations with common efforts.
CHINESE TOURISTS CONTRIBUTE TO UK ECONOMY
In a flagship store of British luxury brand Burberry on London's Regent Street, Chinese retiree Liu Hailing, along with her seven other friends, was busy shopping on a plain weekend of early October.
For Western bargain-hunters, this is not a golden season, which traditionally falls in summer and Christmas holidays. But it is a superb opportunity for thousands of Chinese buyers, who spent their week-long National Day holiday in Britain as Liu and her friends did.
More and more British retailers have pinned Chinese tourists for great business opportunities by making full use of Chinese holidays such as the Spring Festival, National Day, Chinese Valentine's Day and Mid-autumn Festival.
Aside from big brands that have attracted Chinese holidaymakers, Britain' s varied history, sophisticated culture and beautiful landscapes, among others, all appeal to the Chinese people. It is the homeland of literary giant William Shakespeare and cradle of the Industrial Revolution.
As such, China has become one of Britain's fastest-growing tourism markets, as international visits from the Asian country have more than doubled over the past five years, according to VisitBritain, the national tourism agency.
"China is the world's largest outbound market and a huge tourism opportunity for Britain. Chinese visitors have very positive perceptions of Britain," VisitBritain CEO Sally Balcombe told Xinhua recently, saying they "stay longer here than in our European competitor destinations and are high spenders."
"Every 22 additional Chinese visitors we attract support an additional job in tourism," she added.
A latest report from her agency showed that the number of Chinese tourists to Britain in the first half of 2015 reached a record 90,000, up 28 percent from 2014. Tourism officials are expecting the total number of Chinese visitors to reach more than 200,000 this year.
Having become an important source of Britain's highest spending, each Chinese tourist spends an average of 2,688 pounds (about 4,149 U.S. dollars), four times more than the average, the report said.
