VisitBritain in China to boost high end inbound tourism

VisitBritain is on a mission to lure more Chinese travelers as CEO Patricia Yates visits Beijing and Shanghai this week.

During the visit until 25 October, VisitBritain will host a trade workshop in Shanghai for 35 top Chinese travel buyers, in partnership with Tourism Ireland and supported by British Airways.

It aims to build destination knowledge and showcae premium travel products, while getting those on the itineraries of future visitors to drive bookings from China.

Discussions with leading trade in China, including Trip.com, will review the motivations driving outbound travel from China, and look at trends in digital tools and booking platforms.

These will be supported by interviews with Chinese media on Britain’s regional tourism offerings.

VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates said: “China is a very important visitor market for Britain, forecast to return as our fifth most valuable this year. Our work with the travel trade in China is crucial to boosting product and destination knowledge.”

“The growing direct airline routes from China into regional gateways including Manchester are fantastic opportunities to encourage Chinese visitors to explore beyond London.”

The China market is worth an estimated £1.5 billion to the UK economy in visitor spending.

The visit also comes as VisitBritain gets set to roll out its international Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign.

Launching early 2025 the campaign is using the powerful draw of film and tv locations and places seen-on-screen with Britain’s regional destinations the star of the show.

Latest research by VisitBritain shows that among Chinese travellers considering visiting the UK, 96% are interested in visiting film and TV locations during their trip.

In recent weeks VisitBritain has been supporting a series of film-and-tv inspired trips for journalists and digital influencers from China, taking in experiences from a Bridgerton-themed walking tour in Bath to touring Manchester’s film locations used in productions from Captain America to The Crown.

The trips have covered destinations from London to Birmingham, Bath, Manchester, Oxford, Hertfordshire the Peak District, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

To inspire visits from China through regional gateways the educational visits have been supported by Juneyao Air, which launched direct flights in July this year from Shanghai to Manchester, and Langham Hospitality Group.

VisitBritain’s latest forecasts show visits from China to the UK are continuing to build back.

It estimates 647,000 visits from China to the UK this year, up 76% on 2023.

VisitBritain expects visits from China to the UK, and visitor spending, to return to 2019 levels in 2025. 

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