File photo of the service desks at the British visa office in Beijing, which was launched on April 23, 2014 (Photo/ China News Service)
(ECNS) -- The British government has further eased its visa rules for Chinese travellers with a new program offering two-year multiple-entry visa.
The initiative was announced on Wednesday amid the state visit made by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the UK.[Special Coverage]
It will extend the maximum stay of Chinese visitors from the previous six months, with the application fee remaining at 85 pounds ($131).
The new visa, scheduled to be effective in January, is expected to be extended to 10 years in future.
Meanwhile, fingerprint collecting services will be expanded to visa offices in some 50 Chinese cities from the current 9 in a bid to offer more convenience to visa applicants.
The new measures follow an earlier move by the UK that allows Chinese tourists and business travelers to apply for British and European visas in one single process.
An online statement by the British government said these moves aim to further bolster the China-UK relationship.
"It's focusing on one of the real attractions that we have. The Chinese population love coming here for our culture, our heritage, and our retail," said a spokesperson for British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Figures show the number of Chinese visitors to UK has more than doubled over the past five years, hitting 185, 000 in 2014.
"(Chinese tourists) contribute a huge amount to our economy...and we want to make the most of that and look at how we can grow that in the coming years," the spokesperson added.
