Easier UK visas to lure Chinese tourists

Rao Tian, deputy director of the European division at China International Travel Service, said the ordinary UK visa application requires 15 working days. In addition to booking an interview and translating all application materials, it takes at least one month to get a visa.

"With those simplified application measures, I am sure the demand for UK travel will increase significantly," he added.

Ma Yiming, a 24-year-old professional from Beijing, is very excited about the new policies.

"I didn’t include the United Kingdom in my list of destinations last year and early this year because the procedures to apply for a visa are so complicated," she said.

Ma traveled to Italy, France and Switzerland last October by joining a tourist group, and spent about two weeks in the Netherlands and Belgium in April.

"Had the policy come out earlier, I could have gone to the UK this April," she said.

Cheng Xiaodan, chief executive officer of London-based travel agency China Holiday Group, said the new policy is "absolutely good" for British tourism and business.

She noted that British travel and shopping companies have called on the government many times to simplify and relax visas for Chinese tourists.

The number of mainland tourists traveling overseas in the first three quarters of this year reached 72.5 million, a surge of 18 percent from the same period of last year, according to the China National Tourism Administration on Monday.

The total spending of outbound tourists was estimated at $94.6 billion in the first three quarters, a rise of 23.1 percent from the same period last year.

Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods and Director of Walpole, a consortium of luxury brands, said the new measures "haven’t gone far enough".

Ward explained, under the plan, visa applications for Chinese visitors will be simplified only if they book with selected travel agencies.

Mo Jingxi and Jin Haixing in Beijing, and Zhang Chunyan in London contributed to this story.