With numbers of Chinese tourists in the UK predicted to double by 2020, knowing exactly what appeals to its famously high-spending citizens is big business for the UK’s tourism industry, not to mention the retailers who benefit from the breakneck sightseeing and shopping.

According to statistics from Visit Britain, at least a fifth of all Chinese visitors tour around in organised groups like this one, despite the difficulties of obtaining tourist visas. The political debate hotted up last week, with a leaked letter from the home secretary opposing plans by the culture secretary to attract more Chinese tourists by simplifying visabureaucracy.

According to travel operators, the red tape contributes to the low numbers of Chinese visitors to the UK, compared with European neighbours, depriving Britain of the lucrative economic benefits.

Although the number of Chinese visitors in the UK grew about 35 per cent from 2010-2011, it still lags behind other European countries. Last year, 147,000 Chinese tourists visited Britain – far behind the 1.2m that went to France.

Despite tourist bodies predicting Chinese visitors to reach 290,000 a year by 2020, some argue it is not just visa bureaucracy that will keep a lid on Chinese visitors. Johan Svanstrom, vice-president of Hotels.com Asia Pacific, says that London bookings have been “outpaced” by continental Europe. "What affects Chinese travellers more than others is currency. We are seeing a nice upswing in the euro area because of the weak euro,” he says.

Regardless of whether this effect will reverse, the British tourism industry knows it will have to work to make the UK more accessible to the Chinese. "They want culture, they want history and they want shopping,” says David Painter, chief executive of the tour groups division at Kuoni Destination Management, the organiser of this delegation. “Places like London can clearly offer that, but so can Paris, so can Rome, so can Venice. If London’s an easy place to go to, they go there. If it’s harder, they go to Paris or Rome.”