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Chinese tourists to spend £1bn in UK by 2017
Tourists from China will spend 84pc more in the UK by 2017, thanks to the growing middle class and simplified visa rules
Shopping in UK
Currently, tourists from China make up 2.7pc of total tourism spending in the UK
 
Chinese tourists will spend £1bn a year in the UK by 2017, largely thanks to simplified tourist visas which will make it easier for Chinese tourists to visit Britain.
 
Spending from Chinese visitors is expected to grow 84pc over the next four years, up from the £549m in 2013, according a Barclays report on tourist dynamics.
 
China is the fastest source of tourism spending in the world thanks to its growing middle class, who have increasing wealth and so higher disposable incomes.
 
But the UK can expect to see especially strong growth in Chinese tourism spending thanks to decisions to simplify the visa application process.
 
Richard Lowe, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays, said the changes in tourism visas were a key reason for the rise in spending from Chinese visitors. 

As George Osborne said, there should be no limit to the number of Chinese tourists who can visit.
 
"There’s a number of plans being put in place to allow that to happen and it’s important that those are followed through and as many Chinese visas who want visas do get them and can come and support the UK economy”, he said.
 
In October 2013, Chancellor George Osborne announced a 24 hour “super priority” visa application for Chinese business visitors and unveiled a scheme to allow Chinese tourists to apply for a UK visa using a “Schengen” single application form accepted by 26 countries.
 
The revised rules followed a ten month campaign by The Telegraph to simplify visa rules for Chinese visitors in order to boost economic growth. Under the old scheme, Chinese tourists were forced to have their fingerprints taken, pay higher fees, and submit a lengthy application.
 
Mr Lowe said that he expected shops to start offering products specifically target to Chinese consumers.
 
"There will be some catering towards Chinese tastes and retailers will be looking at what Chinese tourists would like to purchase”, he said.
 
The economic gain will not be entirely directed at London, according to Mr Lowe, who said that cultural heritage throughout the UK was attractive to Chinese visitors.
 
"We’re seeing a number of Chinese visitors in places like Scotland and the north west. This is not a regional play or a capital city play”, he said.
 
Currently, tourists from China make up 2.7pc of total tourism spending in the UK, and are tenth on the list of the top spending nations.
 
According to the World Tourism Organisation, 149,000 Chinese tourists visit the UK each year compared to 1.1m who travel to France, which is part of the Schengen area.
 
By 2017, China’s tourists will be fifth on the list of countries that spend the most in the UK, behind the US, France, Germany and Australia.
 
Russia and the United Arab Emirates are also set to become major sources of tourism spending in the UK, with both countries expected to enter the top ten UK spenders’ list by 2017.
 
Canadian and Dutch tourists will be pushed out of the top ten list, though the US, Germany, France and Australia will remain the major sources of tourism spending until 2017.
 
In total, spending from foreign tourists is predicted to grow by 34pc from 2013 to 2017, to an annual expenditure of £27bn a year.
 
The retail, leisure and hospitality sectors are all expected to see tourism revenue grow by more than 30pc. Tourists are expected to spend £9.3bn on retail, £5.3bn on eating out and £7.3bn on hotel accommodation by 2017.
  Source: The Telegraph

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