Tourists take photos of the guards in Whitehall London, UK on January 28, 2026. Photo: VCG

China is a very important visitor market for Britain, and Chinese tourists' spending in the UK is expected to maintain a continuous growth at an average annual rate of 20 percent through 2030, Patricia Yates, CEO of VisitBritain, the UK's national tourism agency, told the Global Times in an interview on Thursday night, vowing more measures to facilitate travel for Chinese tourists.

"We have huge ambitions for the Chinese market. We're doing our 'Starring GREAT Britain' campaign here. And we are ready to make sure that the potential of Chinese visitors is turned into real action," Yates said.

"When we look globally, where is tourism growth for the future going to come from? It's going to come from this part of the world, and we already have strong aspirations for Chinese visitors to come to Britain and to explore more than London," Yates said. She highlighted that Chinese visitors tend to stay longer, around 14 days, and spend more than visitors from other countries, which she described as an "amazing facet of Chinese tourism."

According to VisitBritain's latest forecast, the number of Chinese visitors to the UK this year is expected to reach 641,000, up 31 percent on the estimate for 2025. Currently, China is a market worth 1.2 billion pounds to Britain, the UK's ninth most valuable market. It's estimated that Chinese tourists' spending in the UK is expected to maintain a continuous growth at an average annual rate of 20 percent through 2030.

The Global Times learned that VisitBritain will invite eight top-tier Chinese travel buyers to visit Bath, Bristol, Manchester, and Yorkshire in early February, aiming to deepen their understanding of UK destinations and promote the inclusion of relevant products in future itineraries for Chinese tourists.

As for measures to facilitate Chinese tourists' travel to the UK, Yates said UK visa application centers in China have done a great job making visas for Chinese visitors as simple and fast as possible. She stressed that seamless welcome should start when people first apply for a visa.

She said VisitBritain will be working with businesses in a continuous improvement program to make it convenient for Chinese visitors to travel around the UK and to explore more of the country.

As for her expectations for future China-UK economic and trade cooperation, Yates said the first obvious area for cooperation is route development. "To encourage tourists to travel in both directions, we need as much seat capacity as possible. Now, we have good news there because Chinese airlines have significantly increased route capacity, with new routes to Edinburgh and Manchester. Those regional routes will encourage people to explore more than London," she said, noting that more Chinese tourists are expected as the Chinese New Year is approaching.

During her stay in Beijing, Yates, as a representative of the delegation led by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, visited multiple venues including the National Center for the Performing Arts where they have had exchanges in the past. "Rebuilding those connections and looking at what might be possible in the future. Through this process, I felt a real sense of excitement on both sides. And this delegation led by the Prime Minister will really help cement those partnerships and build them for the long term," she said.