Currently, 116 businesses and organizations have been certified by the UK Tourism Board and have received the "Welcome China—Enjoy British Hospitality" logo, which means these businesses and organizations are capable of providing Chinese-speaking guides, Chinese language information, UnionPay payment options, and other more convenient services, thus gaining a competitive edge in attracting Chinese tourists in the future.
The "Welcome China—Enjoy British Hospitality" initiative was an important bilateral exchange topic during Prime Minister Cameron's visit to China last year. The "Welcome China—Enjoy British Hospitality" logo helps Chinese tourists easily find hotels, attractions, and travel agencies that offer specially "tailored" services such as Chinese language information. The UK Tourism Board hopes this initiative will encourage UK tourism operators to invest more in the Chinese market and create more suitable products.
UK Tourism Board CEO Sandie Dawe stated that the purpose of the "Welcome China—Enjoy British Hospitality" initiative is to make the UK stand out among European countries and to establish the UK as the friendliest European travel destination in the eyes of Chinese tourists, aiming to welcome 650,000 Chinese tourists annually by 2020, which will bring nearly £1.1 billion in annual revenue to the UK economy. She pointed out that many tourism organizations are still considering enhancing their services to obtain certification. The cultural attaché of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, Xiang Xiaowei, expressed support for the certification program launched by the UK Tourism Board, stating that the introduction of the "Welcome China—Enjoy British Hospitality" logo certification will encourage more tourism organizations to provide convenient conditions for Chinese tourists, and the number of Chinese visitors to the UK is expected to increase significantly in the future.
In recent years, the outbound tourism market in China has developed rapidly, with approximately 97.3 million outbound trips made by Chinese tourists in 2013. Statistics from the UK Tourism Board show that the number of Chinese tourists visiting the UK has doubled in the past four years, with the number of Chinese visitors to the UK exceeding 200,000 for the first time in 2013. Wolfgang Arlt, director of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute based in Germany, told our reporter that the services for Chinese tourists in the UK started relatively late compared to continental European countries, but driven by the rigid demand in the tourism market, the UK government has begun to make significant efforts to attract Chinese tourists. Arlt noted that as living standards improve, the number of Chinese tourists participating in group tours has significantly decreased, while the number of independent and in-depth travelers is gradually increasing, indicating a need to pay attention to this trend when developing the Chinese tourist market.
To attract Chinese tourists, the UK introduced measures last year to simplify visa procedures, including the recognition of Schengen visa application forms. Future visa procedures are expected to be further simplified. Felipa Laws, director of the Customer Strategy Department at the UK Visa and Immigration Office, stated that last year the office issued over 290,000 Chinese visas, with a rejection rate of only 4%. The average processing time for visas was 8 days, and 98% of visas were processed within 15 days. The website has also introduced convenient options such as online payment. To promptly handle visit visas for parents during graduation season, the visa office often works overtime to provide better service.
Sarah Burks, customer manager at the famous tourist attraction Warwick Castle, stated that the attraction is equipped with Chinese language audio guides and has Chinese-speaking tour guides, which are important conditions for certification. In the future, they will consider developing more service projects based on "organization." According to statistics from the UK Tourism Board, among the certified businesses and organizations, half have employees who speak Mandarin and have Chinese language websites, over 80% have Chinese language guidebooks, about 30% have UnionPay terminal devices, and nearly 1/4 use Chinese Weibo and other social media.
Many researchers point out the importance of establishing accounts on social media platforms such as Weibo. Roy Glover, general manager of the consulting agency "China Window," which is dedicated to developing the Chinese tourism market, noted that Weibo and WeChat have hundreds of millions of users in China, and promoting through social media platforms is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Paul Rogers, regional manager for British Airways in the Asia-Pacific region, also pointed out that after opening a Weibo account, British Airways gained 300,000 followers within three months, which is quite remarkable.
