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Ctrip says over 60,000 Chinese visitors booked UK tours via its website or APP, which represented an almost 100% increase over that of 2016, making UK one of the destinations that saw biggest increase in terms of number of Chinese visitors.
This figure was contained in the report titled “The Chinese people are full of curiosity in UK—— Big Data of UK Tour in 2017″ , issued by Ctrip in January.
According to the report, the most preferred travel route by Chinese visitors is in-depth tour in UK only, followed by two-country or three-country tour, while the UK only route saw the fastest growth. The average stay time of Chinese visitors is over 7 days, with 8-10 days are the most chosen. An outbound travel expert with Ctrip has said,”UK alone route has become mainstream product on the market.”
Following is major findings in the report:
- In 2017, over 60,000 Chinese tourists booked their UK trip via Ctrip, around 40,000 of them made the trip during July to August period.
- The average length that Chinese visitors stay in UK is one week, while the most chosen time span is 8-10 days.
- 26% of Chinese visitors are FITs, 42% go with groups, while 32% follow tailor made itineraries.
- Top 10 UK destinations for Chinese visitors: London, Edinburgh, Windermere, Manchester, Fort William, Oxford, Cambridge, Swansea, Sandbach, East Kilbride.
- The top 10 Chinese cities that have seen most visitors to UK: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan and Dongguan.
- The top 10 most popular UK attractions: London Eye, Windsor Castle, Madame Tussauds, Westminster Abbey, Edinburgh Castle, Old Trafford Stadium, London Tower, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Greenwich Observatory, London Tower Bridge.
- 60% Chinese visitors are female while 40% are male.
- Age group: people born in 1960s 18%, 1970s 22%, 1980s 22%, 1990s 13%, 2000s, 12%
- 19% of Chinese visitors are couples, 4% traveled in a group of over 6 people, 17% traveled alone, 23% with friends/colleagues, 28% with children while 10% with parents.