UK: The latest data from Expedia Group shows a 155 per cent year-on-year increase in travellers from mainland China.
With Chinese New Year – the Year of the Rat – beginning Saturday 25 January, the UK is expected to attract more visitors compared to 2019, which saw 483,000 visitors from China.
Analysis of Expedia Group data, covering quarter one to quarter three of 2019 (January to September), reveals a solid growth in travellers from mainland China, bolstered further by visitors from Japan and South Korea (both at 30 per cent increase year-on-year), Hong Kong at 25 per cent increase year-on-year, and double-digit growth from Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Singapore.
Package demand from China, covering a combination of hotel, and/or flight, and/or car hire, has also grown strongly at an increase of 260 per cent year-on-year.
Additional research from Visit Britain shows that travellers from China spend 2.8 times the global average when in the UK, and almost 62 per cent of visitor nights are spent outside of London.
Helen Maher, London’s director of market management at Expedia Group, said: “The Chinese New Year holiday period is traditionally one that attracts a lot of visitors from Asia, and our data shows ongoing, substantial interest from travellers coming to the UK from a number of Asian markets.”
