UK holidaymakers set sights on China

China is shaping up to be one of the most popular tourist destinations of 2007.

Foreign currency expert M&S Money claims it has sold ten per cent more Chinese currency so far this year than for the whole of 2006.

Annual figures released by the Association of British Travel Agents also showed a nine per cent rise in demand for long haul holidays, with many heading out of London's Heathrow Airport, compared with a small drop in demand for European and North American destinations.

Part of the reason China is so popular at the moment has to do with the value of its currency. A favourable rate of 14 Yuan Renmibi for just £1 - coupled with the low cost of living - means holidaymakers are spending about half as much on Chinese vacations as they would on equivalent trips to Europe.

The price of a meal in a noodle bar can be as low as 20p, according to the China-Britain Business Council.

Hong Kong media estimates the total number of tourists visiting the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing could reach 1.7 million, with a sizable proportion expected to be British.

Posted by Graham Greenaway on the 14/08/2007 17:28:14
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