UK rolls out red carpet for China's tourists

"British hotels, attractions and tour agencies are working toward providing printed, online or audio information to visitors in Mandarin or Cantonese, providing Chinese food, training their staff to meet cultural needs and expectations of Chinese visitors and many other efforts to ensure that Chinese visitors can feel more at ease," he says. "A number of stores in the UK have recruited Mandarin-speaking staff to better deal with Chinese consumers. Some big department stores have launched Chinese-language apps, offering Chinese tourists store guides, restaurant menus and event details."

"We also made an online guide for UK businesses, combined with a self-assessment tool which will enable individual businesses see where improvements are most needed."

Also, UK Visas & Immigration is trying to make entry easier for Chinese tourists.

In 2013, 96 percent of Chinese who applied for a UK visa got one. The average processing time for non-settlement visas was less than seven days, which is eight days quicker than the 15-day service standard, the agency says.

In July, the UK Home Office announced improvements to the visa system in China, including a 24-hour visa service; the expansion of mobile identification systems using biometrics, or physical characteristics like fingerprints; and a new service enabling customers to apply for the UK and Schengen visas at the same time. The Schengen visa is a common visit allowing entry into 22 European Union member states and four non-members. The UK is among those that are not signatories.

"It is now much easier to apply for a UK visa," Johnson says. "We are continuing to see rising numbers of Chinese visitors to the UK. New visa improvements will provide Chinese visitors with a quicker and simpler service than ever before."

To give Chinese who have never been to the UK a chance to experience British culture and heritage, VisitBritain worked with an online video portal in China, LeTV.com, to launch the first British online film festival in China, called Great Britain on Screen, which started in October and continued till November.

"Through this campaign, we want to take our audience on a journey through the UK's many film and TV destinations," Johnson says.

"People can discover the unique British lifestyle by immersing themselves in London's West End, following in the footsteps of Harry Potter, living the Bond lifestyle, and seeing 'Downton Abbey' at Highclere Castle."

In addition to sightseeing and relaxation, Chinese tourists are also big spenders in British department stores. Visitors from China spent an average of 2,508 pounds per visit to the UK in 2013, nearly four times the global average of visitors to the UK, which is 640 pounds.

"For Chinese people who want to experience the culture, have a taste of history, and shop at the same time, we want them to know Britain is an ideal place," Johnson says.

TIPS

Here is some advice by Visit-Britain for UK businesses to become "China Ready"

· Learn to see beyond the cliches about Chinese tourists. For example, don't assume that the Chinese only want to eat Chinese food;

· Think about long-term engagement and commitment. Chinese prefer to do business with friends－so work to build friendship and trust;

· China is not a single market. Understand the regional and demographic identifiers;

· Maintain an active presence on China's Internet;

· Localization is important and should be delivered appropriately. Under no circumstance use machine translation for your website;

· Emphasize the brand heritage, its history and the human-interest story in your marketing;

· Show respect for Chinese culture.

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