One application process therefore allows Chinese visitors to visit 26 countries, another application process is required
THE UK: BRAND OF OPPORTUNITY The economic case for attracting more Mainland Chinese visitors
The UKCVA: Encouraging more Chinese Visitors to Britain
Why China and why now?
The UK is already an enormously successful trading market with Chinese consumers but we attract significantly fewer Mainland Chinese visitors than our major European neighbours. Despite strong marketing and proven demand, something is stopping many more Chinese people from visiting Britain.
Chinese consumers, who have become the world’s powerhouse nationality propelling the global luxury sector in 2012 also represent the world’s number one market for luxury goods.
Late last year, the UK China Visa Alliance (UKCVA) was launched by leading businesses, including members of the retail and tourism industry. It aims to address in a constructive way an issue which many believe is a significant barrier to attracting more Mainland Chinese visitors, the need to obtain an additional visa to include the UK on their European tour.
Avid Chinese tourists have fuelled consumption across key global cities, including nearby retail centres such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, plus the west’s most important retail cities - London, New York, Milan, Rome and Paris. All these top locations are competing hard for their attention as the Chinese are prepared to spend a higher proportion of their total holiday outlay on retail than any other group. They are motivated buyers, thanks to the high tariffs on luxury goods sold in China, a strong Yuan, greater protection from counterfeit goods and the better selection available at overseas shops.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS Chinese shoppers have become the world’s most important global spenders and London and the UK are magnets for retail sales to this consumer group across mainstream and luxury retail categories.
The Alliance is spearheaded by Walpole British Luxury, New West End Company and London First together with McArthurGlen Designer Outlets, Global Blue and a number of other stakeholders. It aims to help encourage inward visits from Chinese consumers - who have become a global force in terms of their retail and tourism spend domestically and internationally - while respecting the clear need for the UK to maintain a robust and effective border control policy.
London and the UK’s other principal cities face stiff and growing competition from major Continental European hubs, particularly France, Italy and Germany. Most Chinese visitors to Europe travel on a multicountry tour. To visit most countries in Europe they need just one visa. To include Britain on their tour they must also get a separate UK visa.
The UKCVA’s aim is two-fold: to work with the Government and others to identify short-term improvements to the existing Chinese visa system, and to explore structural changes to ensure more high-spending Chinese visitors view the UK as an accessible tourist destination.
One application process therefore allows Chinese visitors to visit 26 countries, another application process is required to visit one more country. Fewer than one out of ten Chinese visitors to Europe apply for both visas. Most opt for just the 26 country visa.
The UKCVA strongly believes that the key to unlocking potential is to find ways that would allow Chinese visitors to provide the necessary information to apply for both visas at the same time. Obtaining the two visas would be far less onerous for Chinese visitors and Britain’s border security would be maintained.
We must keep our borders secure. But we must also encourage legitimate visitors, for the good of Britain and of British business. We need to make it easier for Chinese visitors to apply for both visas at the same time so that many more include Britain on their European tours.
The UKCVA warmly welcomes the Government’s recognition of the importance of the Chinese market to Britain’s economy and the Home Office’s commitment to constant improvements to the visa processing system. In December 2012 the Home Secretary outlined a range of improvements to ease visa constraints for Chinese visitors. These include a simplified process for Chinese tour operators who are part of the Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) scheme, with a shortened online application form and streamlined requirements. There will also be assistance for business, with dedicated embassy staff to assist Chinese companies with their UK visa requirements.
The UKCVA estimates that the current situation costs the UK £1.2 billion annually in lost retail sales. This additional spend would have created around 24,000 new jobs. As Chinese consumers become increasingly influential travellers this figure could rise to £3.1 billion by 2020. The UKCVA is encouraging initiatives to ease the process of applying for two visas while maintaining the UK’s robust border controls and has put forward possible alternatives which it feels would achieve both objectives, opening the UK up to a multi-billion pound annual increase in retail and tourism revenues.
The UKCVA fully supports these moves and believes these improvements will help to increase Chinese visitor numbers to the UK. However, analysis carried out by the UKCVA shows that the UK significantly underperforms in the number of Chinese visitors it attracts compared with other major European countries, costing the UK economy an estimated £1.2 billion per year. Research also shows that most Chinese visitors will apply for only one visa when visiting Europe, and that because a visa issued by any one of the 26 European countries that is a member of the Schengen Agreement gives access to all 26 countries, it is currently far more popular than the single UK visa, which permits entry only to Britain.
Key among these is a proposal for a linked data collection process and a closer working relationship between the UK and selected European partners, meaning applicants would need to provide their information only once. Verification and visa processing would still remain completely separate. This move would give the UK potential access to more than 800,000 additional Chinese consumers annually.
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A question of numbers Official figures vary about the number of Chinese visitors that the UK attracts and how we perform in relation to our major European neighbours. Visit Britain’s statistics, taken from the International Passenger Survey and the French government’s equivalent, suggest that France attracts almost eight times more Chinese visitors than the UK.
Yet while luxury retail grabs the headlines, a rapidly growing middle class is fuelling consumption across all retail categories and price points. According to McKinsey & Company’s report, Meet the Chinese Consumer 2020, changes in economic profiles have been, and will continue to be, the most important trend shaping the consumer landscape. It says: “Affluent consumers will remain an elite minority, making up only 6% of the population in 2020. But that 6% will translate into about 21 million affluent households, with 60 million consumers.”
But the amount of visas issued each year implies a larger number of Chinese visitors to the UK.
Figures from Visit Britain show that currently the UK captures only 1.3% of the total global Chinese visitor spend, demonstrating the huge potential for growth. The expenditure by those travelling represents a significant proportion of total global luxury goods spending. Mainland Chinese are the biggest single group of tax-free shoppers in the world, accounting for a rising proportion of global sales. Significantly, this a relatively young trend and statistics from tax refund specialists Global Blue show that sales to Chinese consumers have increased by a factor of 36 in London over the decade to 2012, and by a multiple of nearly 30 in the UK.
In 2011 the IPS data estimated that the UK attracted 149,000 Chinese visitors. In the same year the UK issued 205,000 visas to Chinese visitors, 193,000 from Chinese people living in mainland China.
Many Chinese shoppers prefer to buy overseas and top tourist destinations such as London and the UK’s historic cities are an obvious draw, where visitors can combine cultural experiences, possibly visiting family, and the Chinese national pastime - shopping.
In that year in excess of 1 million visas were issued by Schengen Agreement countries (EU press release, February 2012).
In terms of top destinations, the latest KPMG survey shows that Hong Kong remains the number one choice for Mainland Chinese consumers, followed by Europe and Japan. Aside from proximity, a low tax and VAT environment is one of the factors that plays to Hong Kong’s advantage.
So, using data on the number of visas issued our European neighbours have a market that is five times the size of the UK’s.
Furthermore, analysis by high net worth individual research specialist Ledbury demonstrates that improved sentiment in most regions of China over the past six months, compared with the same period last year, has kept consumer confidence high. In this respect, China is the most positive market globally.
Whatever data is used, it is clear that the market for our European neighbours is significantly greater than the UK’s. British businesses want the opportunity to compete for that market. 3
Chinese Consumer Behaviour Millions of Chinese are travelling to Europe to shop, relax, visit cultural sites and meet up with friends and family, including children studying in the UK, representing an opportunity which is still in its infancy. Bank of China
A number of factors make Chinese visitors unique from a retail perspective. Firstly, they prioritise their spending on shopping compared with other travel expenses, making them highly attractive customers for retailers. Secondly, there is a strong gift giving culture in China, so visitors will buy not only for themselves but also for friends and family, while they will also probably have a request list of items to pick up on behalf of others.
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To help Chinese shoppers make their purchases easily when they are in the UK, so far over 50,000 UnionPay [the commonly used Chinese credit card provider] terminals have been fitted in Britain and in total there are some 7.5 billion bank cards issued globally, of which 3.2 billion are China UnionPay cards.
The profile of Chinese visitors is also changing, with younger generations now travelling and the focus being not purely on luxury brands but on cool fashion labels and mainstream consumer goods, especially as visitors begin to arrive independently rather than on group travel.
The growing complexity of the Chinese global shopper
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A common feature for Chinese shoppers is the relatively cheaper price of luxury goods in European markets compared with their homeland because of the import tariffs. There has been considerable speculation about how long this situation will continue. Were the Chinese Government to change its policy on import tariffs, travel operators predict a shift in consumer behaviour and travel patterns.
Julia Carrick CEO, Walpole British Luxury
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Chinese shoppers are big spenders and remain of huge importance to the UK luxury market with UK brands increasingly adapting their product offering and price points for Chinese consumers.
Any such development would be of particular concern to the travel operators, who believe that a significant number of Chinese travellers are motivated by the lower pricing of luxury in the major European markets.
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CHINESE CONSUMERS AND THE WAY THEY SPEND
Trust, not price, is the primary reason why Chinese consumers spend so heavily overseas. Most Chinese outbound tourists bought a wide range of goods on their most recent trip, from make-up to luxury clothes, bags and jewellery. Visitors to the three most popular continental European destinations - France, Germany and Italy spent almost double the amount on bags and clothes, jewellery and watches and cosmetics than those who visited Asian destinations. Source: Matthew Plowright, head of research, China Confidential
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EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE: The Chinese are accustomed to discounting.
Harrods, Knightsbridge and member of Walpole British Luxury
DEMAND OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY: I was unable to spend all my money!
With our biggest customer growth coming from international trade, in 2012 the significant rise in the number of Chinese customers continued. This can be attributed to Harrods’ various initiatives, including over 75 point-of-sale UnionPay terminals, Mandarin speaking staff, a Mandarintranslated phone app, a Mandarin store guide and launching a Weibo social media account. At Harrods the trend is for the highly brand conscious Chinese shopper to seek out the very latest, limited edition and exclusive products, so Harrods works closely with its brands to provide exclusive and special edition goods.
THE BIGGEST SPENDERS ON THE PLANET: Chinese Global shoppers have been making and saving lots of money for years. Shopping takes priority over luxury hotels, flight upgrades and fine dining.
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Almost 50% of total spending is on shopping, three times the amount spent on travel or accommodation.
Whether it’s their love of a bargain, massive spending power, or simply the fact that the Chinese spend very little on dining out but significant amounts on shopping, the Chinese consumer is a complicated customer.
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A FOREIGN LOVE AFFAIR: The Chinese prefer to shop overseas for reasons of cost, authenticity and adventure. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CASUAL SHOPPING: It’s important to be on the radar of Chinese shoppers when they are planning their trip. ANY TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME: One way of attracting Chinese customers is to fulfil their desire for more flexibility and longer opening hours. INDEPENDENCE TAKES PRECEDENCE: Groups are still important, but increasingly the Chinese will choose to shop and travel independently. I WANT IT: The ideal shopping trip combines bargains, friendly service and exclusive or rare products. Source: Global Blue
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Increasing Chinese Visitor Numbers: The Opportunity While the UK has already proven a top destination for enthusiastic Chinese shoppers, the current visa situation means the fuller potential remains untapped. Indeed, Global Blue estimate that by 2020 the number of outbound travelling Chinese will reach 100,000,000. There are 1.34 billion Chinese, and the percentage of those who have travelled overseas is still tiny. The scale of the potential boost to the UK economy is demonstrated by an array of astonishing statistics, underlining the current and future importance of Chinese shoppers.
The average monthly spend of a Chinese global shopper is over £700 and 82% of Chinese travellers report shopping as a vital part of their trip. There are an estimated 535,000 High Net Worth individuals in China and, according to the World Luxury Association, the total spend on luxury goods by Chinese consumers is expected to have reached $14.6bn by the end of this year. As travelling becomes more common and the period across which Chinese have travelled to Europe increases, so the relationship between Chinese visitors and host cities deepens. Those who have been to Europe previously are more likely to venture into city centre stores or shopping malls, whereas first timers are more reliant on Duty Free and independent stores. Independent stores offer something unusual that is not available in China and Duty Free stores are cheaper.
Last year the number of Chinese outbound travellers is estimated to have increased by 15% to 66 million, compared with 2011, while according to Visa, overseas consumption by Chinese visa holders in 2010 grew 39% to $3.6 billion. Goldman Sachs estimates that between 2010-2025 another 193 million Chinese middle class, luxury buyers will be created and the Chinese are currently the fourth largest traveller group according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). At present only 0.01% of Chinese visit the UK. The preferred city for shopping is French capital - in a poll UNWTO said that 15% of respondents voted Paris as the top destination, with 10% opting for London. However, while the Chinese travel to Paris to visit galleries, Chinese travellers to London are especially interested in shopping and head for famous stores such as Harrods and Selfridges.
Indeed, the UK - and London especially - has the most cosmopolitan range of international stores in the world according to global advisor CBRE in its How Global is the Business of Retail? report and both UK and international retailers are keen to access the greater number of Chinese visitors who would come to the UK if the visa application process was not duplicated. As one of the most competitive retail markets internationally, incumbent retailers and brands are confident that they would benefit from equal access to visitors to Europe currently applying only under the Schengen process, despite the stronger competition this might provide.
Indeed, the Chinese spend over 60% of their travel budget on shopping and reserve 40% of that shopping budget for others: 19% is spent on buying gifts and 21% on a list of requests. Gifting is very important in Chinese culture - they believe it to be a way of sharing luck and future good fate - while many Chinese also buy gifts in the hope of gaining some benefit in return.
Richard Dickinson, Chief Executive, New West End Company
London’s West End is an economic powerhouse that drives the Capital’s growth. The area contributes 20 per cent to London’s overall GDP and is fundamental to the Capital’s success. The District is continually assessed, in order to remain globally competitive with other major shopping destinations. We ensure that we are at the top of our game in terms of environment, welcome and quality of the shopping opportunities. We are making improvements to the West End - more Welcome Ambassadors; more information points; more multi-lingual staff; cleaner streets; an improved public realm; a multi-million pound regeneration scheme for Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street ahead of Crossrail’s arrival. The quality of offer and welcome we provide on arrival however needs to be mirrored by our visa arrangements in order for the West End to reach its maximum economic potential. The Chinese visitor’s importance to the financial well-being of the District is unrivalled. Despite the West End pulling in international tourists from across the globe, Global Blue has identified that Chinese visitors still top luxury retailers’ most wanted list. The average Chinese spend per transaction on Bond Street is £1867 compared with £600 by the average international shopper. It is essential that the UK Government provides a solution that sets a level playing field with the rest of Europe, to boost employment, prosperity and the UK economy.
PROFILE: McArthurGlen Group
Shopping is the number one reason for leisure travel for 74% of respondents, sight-seeing only ranking at 66% and in late 2012, Chinese consumers surpassed American shoppers as the world’s biggest purchasers of luxury goods, according to a study by consulting firm Bain & Co. As of last year, the Chinese accounted for 25% of global luxury spending, compared with American consumers at 20%.
Chinese tourists visiting McArthurGlen’s seven Designer Outlets across the UK: Spend eight times more than the average shopper. At all seven UK centres, they spend more than any other nationality from outside the EU. They account for 37% of non-EU shopper spend.
“Changes in what Chinese shoppers want are now a central issue for the global luxury sector’s largest brands,” said Bruno Lannes, Bain partner in Greater China, in the study.
While total sales of Chinese shoppers at McArthurGlen’s 21 Designer Outlets across eight countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK) more than doubled in 2012, the UK showed just a 12% average increase across the seven centres.
According to a report by Global Blue - UK Globe Shopper Report 2013 - Chinese expenditure in the UK has continued to grow during 2012, increasing by 35% year-on-year, as Chinese spend still accounts for almost 20% of all non-EU international spend.
The McArthurGlen Designer Outlets which are particularly popular for Chinese shoppers are Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet near Chester, which is the UK’s largest, and York Designer Outlet.
Because of the tax refund policy and exchange rate, European luxury products tend to be 20-30% cheaper in the UK than in China. There has been a 16% increase in arrivals in the last 12 months, adding to the 150,000 Chinese tourists who visited the UK in 2011. By 2020, the expected number of Chinese travellers globally is expected to reach 100 million.
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The McArthurGlen Designer Outlet with the strongest sales growth, at nearly 70%, to Chinese tourists last year was Ashford Designer Outlet in Kent, just 37 minutes from London by high-speed train.
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The Challenges: European Competition While London’s retail and tourism sector have welcomed the current influx of Chinese visitors, concerns remain that the UK capital and the country are still losing out to European rivals.
Chinese shoppers: Sales growth in key markets
While Chinese visitor spending has proven a huge boon to the UK retail market - which has been suffering from nearly five years of low domestic demand - there are serious concerns that visa regimes are handing a competitive advantage to rival European cities. The three most notable rivals are France, Germany and Italy according to Global Blue figures, which reveal that sales growth in the UK was lower than both France and Germany last year, while average spend is above only Germany. So while the UK is performing well, it is at risk of seeing its main rivals move further ahead.
Country
Average Chinese % Growth in spend amount Chinese spend for 2012 2012 vs 2011
UK £738 31% France £1,329 50% Italy £753 6%
While a number of factors will determine which countries and cities Chinese tourists visit, one key difference between the UK and the rest of Europe is the visa system, with Britain operating an independent application process. Many Chinese visitors travel through more than one country on a trip to Europe and the Schengen visa permits travel between European countries but not to the UK.
Germany £530 42% Top five shopping nations by average spend globally in 2012
With the rise in luxury retail sales internationally and the globalisation of retail brands across all categories, London has become a powerhouse in the retail sector and often acts as a bridgehead for non-European brands seeking to expand across the continent. This has also been evidenced in the arrival of Chinese retailers hoping to succeed in Europe, notably Bosideng which opened a flagship store just off Oxford Street last year. More Chinese retailers are predicted to enter the UK via London but much of this strategy is based on the number of Chinese shoppers in the West End, familiar with the brands.
China £738 Malaysia £665 Thailand £646 Indonesia £540 USA £533
While adoption of a parallel or “one stop” system to provide data and documentation for both the Schengen visa and UK visa would mean that the UK was competing directly for visitors able to travel across the Continent, it would also give Britain - with its superb shops, great culture and history and recent Olympic legacy - a level playing field for which to put forward Brand Britain.
Source: Global Blue
The visa system for Chinese visitors - UKCVA analysis and proposals ANALYSIS
UKCVA PROPOSALS
In an earlier UKCVA report (Proposals for Innovation in the Visa System, 2012), UKCVA examined the various demand and supply factors that could account for the difference in Chinese visitor numbers between Britain and other European countries. The report found that there is strong consumer demand to visit the UK and that Britain already runs extensive marketing campaigns, particularly the GREAT Campaign and has developed strong links with major tour operators.
The UKCVA welcomes the continuing improvements made by the government to the visa processing system. The initiatives announced by the Home Secretary in December 2012 will make it easier for visitors and tour operators to complete the application process. The formation of a new UK Visa and Immigration Service within the Home Office will foster a more welcoming culture for legitimate travellers wanting to visit the UK.
The Alliance concluded that lack of demand or particular supply side issues, such as flight numbers, could not account for the big difference in visitor numbers. It strongly believes, along with many other businesses and travel organisations, that the visa system across Europe is the major barrier which prevents Chinese visitors including Britain on their European tours.
The UKCVA and others are actively working with the government to explore other improvements to the current system. (See Possible Improvements to the Existing Visa System on page 11). However, we believe that the most effective way to increase significantly the number of Chinese visitors, so that we perform as well as our European neighbours, is to find ways to enable applicants to provide information for both a UK and a Schengen visa at the same time, while the UK government continues to process UK visa applications to ensure border security.
Most Chinese people have not visited Europe before and, because of the distance involved, they prefer to make a multi-country tour. To visit 26 countries in Europe Chinese people need just one visa issued by a Schengen Agreement member country. But it excludes the UK and Ireland who are not members of Schengen. To include Britain on their tour, Chinese visitors must also get a separate UK visa. This means that they have to make two separate applications, with two different sets of forms and supporting documentation. Applying for any visa takes time and effort. It involves filling in an application form, supplying supporting documents, providing biometric data (for a UK visa) and allowing sufficient time for the visa to be processed before a trip. And there is always the risk of refusal. This can be onerous for just one visa. But it is doubly onerous if you have to go through the whole process twice. This issue is particularly pertinent to tour operators, who have to organise visas for all their customers. Having to make a separate set of applications just to include Britain on their European tours is a strong incentive to omit the UK from their itinerary. As a consequence, some 93% of Chinese visitors to Europe get only one visa. The vast majority of these choose a Schengen visa because this allows access to most countries in Europe. According to the UKCVA’s analysis of figures from the European Union, the Home Office and Visit Britain, 86% of Chinese visitors to Europe get a Schengen visa, 11% get a UK visa and just 7% get both. The UKCVA fully supports the need to maintain the security of the UK’s borders. But for legitimate visitors we need to make it easier for them to apply for both visas at the same time, so that many more include Britain on their European tours.
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Baroness Jo Valentine, Chief Executive, London First
Simon Fowler, Managing Director, John Lewis Oxford Street
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BIOMETRICS - A TWO EDGED SWORD
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The World Economic Forum’s latest competitiveness rankings show that the UK has dropped 24 places in terms of the competitiveness of its visa requirements, slipping from 22nd to 46th. Of course, we need robust checks to ensure the security of our border. But at the same time as making sure that we keep out those whom we do not want here, we should be trying to make it easier for those that we want to attract.
Chinese shoppers were one of our most important international customer segmentations in John Lewis Oxford Street throughout 2012. According to our tax-free sales provider, Global Blue, sales from Chinese shoppers over the last two years grew by 113%. During the first quarter of 2013 this pattern of growth has continued; our in-store celebrations for Chinese New Year and Golden Week in February, helped increase sales from Chinese visitors by 83%.
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This pattern of growth echoes the overall Partnership, where sales to Chinese were up 54% in 2012 and are up 67% so far this year. Last year we introduced a variety of initiatives to tailor our outstanding customer service to Chinese shoppers: China Union Pay is now an accepted method of payment at John Lewis Oxford Street and Stratford City, with Mandarin speaking partners and translated store guides available. The quintessentially British charm of John Lewis is continuing to build interest from overseas Chinese visitors and we will maintain our focus on this market for further in-store events and actively targeting international shoppers. Positive changes to the Chinese visa system would support our current and future focus on China for Oxford Street.
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UK visas are biometric, with applicants having to provide finger prints for identification. This means that the majority of applicants have to attend a visa application centre (VAC), which provides an additional hurdle for tour operators in particular. Schengen visas do not currently require biometric data, although Schengen issuing countries are committed to introduce this by the end of 2013. This could be good for Britain, or bad, depending how we respond.
Michael Ward, Managing Director, Harrods
The Chinese visitor is by far the largest “spender from overseas. On average they spend over half of the trip costs on retail, the majority of which is on luxury products. Trust and authenticity are cited as the top reason for buying in the UK. The average transaction value continues to grow by high double digit percentages, with absolute numbers being held back due to the UK’s burdensome visa regime. With the Chinese tourist market in its infancy, the current spend is amazing and with less than 3% of the population holding passports the future potential is substantial.
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If biometric data is shared (which may prove difficult, given national data protection laws), then this will be good for Britain. There will be a level playing field and all visitors to Europe will have to provide biometric data whether they are applying for a Schengen or UK visa. If the data is shared, they will only have to do this once. If biometric data is not shared, this will be bad for Britain. But without this collaboration, applicants will have to arrange to provide their prints twice. This will make getting two visas even more onerous and even more individuals and tour operators are likely to apply just once. With access to 26 countries, the Schengen visa will inevitably be the more popular choice.
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EXISTING VISA SYSTEM The UK performs well in terms of the number of visas it issues to Chinese visitors each year, processing about the same number as our major European neighbours. The problem for Britain is that these countries can attract all visitors who have a Schengen visa while the UK can attract only those who have a UK visa. In 2011 there were more than 1 million Schengen visas issued, while the UK issued 205,000 visas. The market for our European neighbours is therefore in the order of five times greater. The UKCVA and other organisations have discussed with the government a number of improvements to the existing visa application system to encourage more Chinese people to apply. These include reducing the size of the application form; allowing forms to be completed in Chinese; allowing photocopies of documents; synchronising supporting documents to match more closely with other requirements of similar countries; sharing biometric data; reducing fees; encouraging longer term visas; speeding-up processing times; introducing premium services; and liaising with applicants before rejecting due to incomplete supporting material. The government has responded positively and constructively to many of these suggestions. The UKCVA welcomes any improvement to the system but still believes that marginal improvements to the current system will lead to only marginal increases in numbers. We believe that significant improvements in visitor numbers will only occur when applicants can provide documentation for both a UK and a Schengen visa at the same time.
The UK China Visa Alliance (UKCVA) The UKCVA is a business-led organisation dedicated to increasing significantly the number of Chinese visitors to the UK. It brings together leading businesses from the retail and tourism sector dedicated to working with Government to boost Britain’s economy. The main objective of the Alliance is to increase the number of Chinese visitors applying for and obtaining UK visas, while maintaining the robustness of Britain’s border security. It aims to achieve this by working with government and the private sector to identify effective ways of streamlining the visa application and processing system; researching the different segments of the Chinese tourism market and their specific requirements; and supporting on-territory marketing campaigns.
Founding Members’ information and links
London First is a non-profit organisation with the mission to make London the best city in the world in which to do business. It aims to influence national and local government policies and investment decisions to support London’s global competitiveness.
McArthurGlen Group is the European leader in designer outlet retailing, with a 20.3% share of the market. Every year McArthurGlen Group attracts 75 million visitors to its 21 centres across eight countries. With current extensions the company will have a grand total of 700,000 sq m of retail space.
www.londonfirst.co.uk
www.mcarthurglengroup.com
New West End Company - is the UK’s largest retail BID representing Bond Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street and 22 connecting streets, and is dedicated to positioning London’s West End as the world’s top shopping destination. Over the past ten years New West End Company has worked with its members to ensure the West End is the first choice shopping district for international visitors.
Walpole British Luxury is a not-for-profit organisation that furthers the interests of the British luxury industry by harnessing and sharing the collective knowledge, experience and resources of the membership. Walpole British Luxury leads an active programme of thought leadership, research, political engagement, initiatives and events to promote and inspire British luxury worldwide.
www.thewalpole.co.uk
www.newwestend.com PARTNERS
Global Blue offers Tax Free Shopping allowing visitors from overseas the chance to claim back the GST/VAT on their purchases, meaning savings of up to 15%. Every year close to 20 million travellers save money by shopping Tax Free. Global Blue also offers dynamic currency choice and marketing services.
www.global-blue.com
Selfridges European Tour Operators Association Westfield BAA Airports Ltd Capital & Counties The Cadogan Estate Intercontinental Hotels Group British Hospitality Association International Airlines Group Heart of London Business Alliance
