Chinese tourists see record spend as new visa scheme brings in more visitors
In today’s blogpost we will examine the impact of the recent UK and Belgium governments’ pilot scheme to streamline the visa application process for Chinese visitors to the UK, Belgium and the Schengen area.
In June this year a new scheme called the UK-Belgium Visa Service was launched that allows Chinese visitors to submit their visa applications for both the UK and Belgium at the same time from any UK Visa Application Center (VAC). This will allow Chinese visitors to obtain both a UK visa and a Schengen area visa at the same time without having to make two applications in separate visa centers. Home Secretary Teresa May welcomed the scheme saying:
The number of Chinese visitors coming to the UK continues to soar. We already offer an excellent visa service in China and have made a number of changes to create a quicker and easier process for customers. This scheme will create a one-stop shop for Chinese visitors to the UK and Europe, whether they are coming here for business or leisure. We will continue to make sure our visa services are world-class to ensure that our borders are protected and that Britain remains open for business.
According to the website www.visitbritain.org the number of Chinese visitors for the first quarter of 2015 was up 0.96% compared to the previous year, however, comparatively Chinese visitors spent less time and money in the UK. Visit Britain also mentions that Chinese visitors are more likely to be making their first trip to Britain and enjoy museums, shopping and visiting parks and gardens.
Money Money Money
Chinese visitors spent 45% more in July compared to the previous year and it is thought that this can be attributed to the relaxation in the visa application procedure. The most popular destination for Chinese tourists is the UK capital with its vast array of cultural icons and wealth of shopping places. Chinese tourists rank number 1 in the world for international tourism expenditure and the UK is keen to see some of their hard earned Yuan line the British treasury’s coffers.
According to the payment company Visa, Chinese tourists overtook Australian and French tourists to become the second highest spending tourists in the UK with American tourists firmly in number one position.