Chinese visitors to London double in 3 years
Updated: 2013-09-21 10:17
(Xinhua)
|
|||||||||||
LONDON - London's tourism industry is increasingly adapting to the growing number of Chinese visitors to the Britain's capital which have doubled in the past three years, a survey results published on Friday revealed.
London & Partners, the official promotional organisation for London, questioned 70 of the top restaurants, hotels, shops and tourist attractions for the survey, which revealed that more than a third of businesses now employ Mandarin speakers amongst their staff to cater for the growth in Chinese customers.
London has communities from 33 nations with 300 languages spoken - Cantonese and Mandarin are among the most common. In 2012, London welcomed 104,000 Chinese visitors, up more than a third from the previous year and double the number since 2009.
Businesses are also providing an increasing amount of information in Mandarin for Chinese tourists - in particular brochures, menus or other literature.
Improved travel links, with four Chinese cities now flying to London, have contributed to the increase in visitors in the last 12 months. Businesses in London believe that Chinese customers will be important to the growth of their enterprises over the next five years.
Feedback from the survey also showed that there is also a significant willingness across the board to continue to adapt products or services to suit the requirements of Chinese customers.
"This is great news for London and its Chinese visitors. London is a welcoming city and an accessible destination for mandarin speakers. We already know that more languages are spoken here than in any other capital city in the world but it is good to hear that so many businesses are investing in Mandarin language services. We want to make sure that all overseas visitors have a very positive and enjoyable experience during their time in London,"said Julie Chappell, Director of Consumer Marketing and Digital Channels at London & Partners.
Attracted by big brand names in London's Luxury Quarter, Chinese visitors spent an average of 1300 pounds ($2080) each in London last year which is more than any other nationality. In total, Chinese visitors to the capital spent 140 million pound in 2012 - an increase of 150 percent on the 2009 spend figure.
Related Stories
New Zealand woos Chinese visitors 2013-09-13 16:46
Chinese visitors up NZ consumer confidence 2013-08-14 11:01
UK, Ireland join forces to lure more Chinese visitors 2013-07-23 07:32
Dubai hotels gear up for more Chinese visitors 2013-05-15 15:17
Today's Top News
Leader calls strategic links with Beijing a model
Maduro aims to build trade plan with China
China to help deal with chemical weapons
Employee claims Danone gave bribes
Court media officers get greater say
Regulation cuts spending on meetings
Nature's light show 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip
Taoists on a mission to promote ancient lore
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Watchdog bites with no favor |
New energy solutions |
Xinjiang scores on the national stage at last |
Africa looks to the Orient for lessons |
Protection plus |
Go online to reap the harvest |