UK launches bargain visas for Chinese big spenders

BRITAIN is launching a drive to attract thousands more big-spending Chinese visitors by offering cutprice visas.

Ministers plan to bring in hundreds of millions of pounds by making it easier for tourists and entrepreneurs to come to the UK.

Slashing the price of a two-year visa by almost 75 per cent – from £324 to £85 – will encourage more Chinese to visit the UK, it is hoped. Under a two-year pilot scheme launched next week, successful applicants will be allowed to make multiple trips to the UK and stay for up to six months at a time.

Chinese tourism is worth nearly £500million a year to the UK, and China is one of Britain’s fastest-growing markets. In the first six months of 2015, around 93,000 holidaymakers arrived from China – an increase of 28 per cent year-on year.

British businesses have long campaigned for the Government to streamline red tape and reduce costs so they can more easily attract people from the economic superpowers. The cut-price visa – which will be reciprocated for UK citizens visiting China – signals closer co-operation between London and Beijing following President Xi’s controversial visit to Britain last October.

James Brokenshire, Immigration Minister, said of the new scheme: ‘The launch of this new visa enhances our excellent visa service by offering better value for money and more flexible travel for Chinese visitors, while ensuring that the UK border is protected.’