Retailers warn Government to loosen immigration controls
City News Desk
Chinese shoppers account for around £350 million a year in trade to the London retail sector, a figure that could easily be double if the Government relaxes the strict immigration controls placed on Chinese tourists.
A Chinese citizen in order to visit the UK must fill out a ten page long visa application form, requiring a personal visit to one of 12 application centres in China. The UK is not a member of the Schengen visa system operating in other EU member states, hence requiring more details and paper than Paris or Berlin.
Retail groups are now lobbying the Government to relax visa requirement for visiting Chinese, in order to boost trade retail coffers from Chinese shoppers.
The chief executive of the New West End Company Richard Dickson said in the Financial Times:
"China represents the largest single market of overseas shoppers in London, but Chinese tour operators tell us that travellers are being put off by long queues and poor process".
In 2009 only 110,000 Chinese came to London, compared to 2 million for the Schengen region.
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