Sights and shopping – why the Chinese love their visits to the UK

It came as no surprise to find that Chinese tourists rated Buckingham Palace as top of their ‘must see’ list, but eyebrows were raised when Bicester Village was the other one of their two main areas to visit while in the UK.

Buckingham Palace – one of the reasons Chinese tourists like to holiday in the UK Image by Edwin Lee / CC BY 2.0

It seems that the modern Chinese travellers to Britain want to see famous sites, but also love designer brands such as Yes Saint Laurent and Prada which is the reason they want to visit the Oxfordshire outlet village.

More and more Chinese are visiting Britain year on year Image by (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Both Buckingham Palace and Bicester attract thousands of Chinese visitors each year with the prospect that many more will make the ten-hour trip to the edge of Europe.

Tourist numbers from the Far East country are up 28% for the first six months from last year according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. With close on 200,000 making the UK their holiday destination, it has become one of the host country’s fastest growing tourist market places.

According to VisitBritain, the visitors like the “romance” associated with the country and the variety of museums. The Chinese like the “feel” of the place and are now staying for at least ten days during which time they spend almost £2,700 each.

The Premier League sells the idea of going to Britain to Chinese viewers Image by DSanchez17 / CC BY 2.0

Tourism from China is worth £500 million to the UK economy, with London always the main target; but Scotland is also a very popular destination with Chinese visitors.

Other reasons why Britain is a popular destination for the world’s largest population are Harry Potter, football’s Premier League and icons like Big Ben. Other reasons mentioned include the Queen, the London Eye, rain and fish and chips.

Harry Potter is one of the reasons Chinese visit Britain in the first place Image by David Catchpole / CC BY 2.0

Curiously, the citizens of Britain themselves are also listed as an attraction for Chinese visitors with many of the arrivals seeking out “gentlemen” in London who know how to behave.