London to benefit from spike in Chinese long-haul trips, says IHG

London stands to benefit significantly from the expected boom in outbound, long-haul Chinese tourism, according to a report from the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

The Future of Chinese Travel report, in partnership with research company Oxford Economics, highlights the scale of the opportunity to the industry, driven by China's rising demand for long-haul trips, growing income levels, and an increase in leisure travel.

Trips from China are expected to hit nearly 97 million by 2023, with 85% of travellers visiting major cities such as London, New York and Tokyo.

Unsurprisingly, the report also showed that countries with simpler visa policies are most likely to benefit.

The outbound push underlines the widely-reported upwards trends in Chinese tourism over the past few years, alongside plans for the UK to simplify Chinese visa applications (which was announced in 2013 by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne), and a spike in more passenger flights between China and the UK.

Richard Solomons, chief executive officer of IHG, said: "This is a ground-breaking piece of research, which demonstrates the sheer scale of the 'China outbound' opportunity for cities and local economies worldwide. The country's growing importance in the global travel market cannot be underestimated."

Sajid Javid, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, added: "This research highlights just how important it is for us to sell the best of Britain to China."

IHG has already sought to capitalise on the rise in Chinese tourism - both domestic and overseas â€' by introducing the "China Ready" programme in its hotels. This has included having Mandarin-speaking staff, trained Chinese chefs, cultural awareness programmes, Chinese-friendly credit card systems, and in-room Mandarin-language services.

It also opened its first hotel under its Chinese-focused Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts brand in Yangjiang City Centre last month, as part of plans to boost its presence in the country.

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