Starting Jan. 2016, Chinese tourists will be issued two-year multiple-entry visas to encourage them to visit Britain. (Photo : Reuters)
The United Kingdom is introducing a two-year multiple-entry visa, specifically to encourage Chinese tourists to visit the country, according to an announcement from the U.K. government on Wednesday during President Xi Jinping's visit.
Xi's visit was to help attract Chinese investors to the country and for the U.K to have the role of China's primary trading partner in the West.
The visit included an audience with Queen Elizabeth.
By lifting the amount of red tape and processing fees associated with visiting the U.K. as a tourist, the change in the visa rules aims to profit from the increasingly wealthy Chinese middle class, who have started going on more overseas trips for leisure in recent years.
"It's focusing on one of the real attractions that we have. The Chinese population like coming here for our culture, our heritage, our retail," said a spokesperson for British Prime Minister David Cameron.
At present, Chinese tourists are issued a six-month tourist visa for 85 pounds ($130). The new rules will give tourists a two-year visa that allows the holder to leave and return to the U.K. without the need for additional paperwork for the same price.
The scheme is set to launch in Jan. 2016.
There are talks to extend the effort and introduce a 10-year multiple-entry visa.
According to analysts, an estimated two-thirds of luxury purchases by Chinese consumers are made abroad, mainly in shopping destinations like Paris and New York. This allows consumers to buy products for half the price they are sold for in China.
Chinese tourists visiting the U.K. have doubled in the past five years, with estimates at about 185,000 in 2014. While in the U.K., they contribute around 500 million pounds to the British economy each year, with the average visitor spending around 2,700 pounds per visit.
"[Chinese tourists] contribute a huge amount to our economy," the spokesperson said. "We want to make the most of that and look at how we can grow that in the coming years."
