Politics, terrorism fail to deter visitors

These tourists are a welcome addition to London's multicultural patchwork quilt, and long may they continue to come here

Take a stroll round some of London's iconic tourist sites, as I did the other day, and you can't help but be impressed by the number of Chinese visitors flocking to see Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and the Cutty Sark tea clipper in Greenwich, to name but a few of this city's attractions.

My cousin recently went shopping in Bicester Village, a cut price luxury brand retail center northwest of London, and found bus loads of Chinese tourists snapping up bargains. Little wonder that Visit Britain reckons visitors from the world's second-largest economy are big spenders, laying out more than ￡2,500 ($3,200; 2,950 euros) each per visit. That's not peanuts.

The United Kingdom is in the middle of a general election campaign, and there are constant reminders of the threat of terror.

March's attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, in which a lone man with a knife managed to mow down pedestrians with his car, killing five, before being shot dead after he ran into the driveway of Parliament and stabbed a policemen to death, seems to have done little to deter visitors.

Just last week, the area, hugely popular with tourists, was awash with visitors, many from China, wielding their smartphones and looking for the next tourist attraction.

Forward Keys, a company that specializes in collecting data about flight bookings, reckons bookings to the UK from China are up by 42 percent during the next three months, year-on-year, while the next six months year-on-year will see a rise of 50 percent. Not to be sniffed at.

It's only anecdotal, but little seems to deter people.

Wendy and Rita, visiting from Hong Kong, told me in between taking selfies on Tower Bridge that they had arranged the trip months ago. They were aware of terrorism, yes, and said they would take extra care. But they still came.

Of course, the general election was only announced last week, but it will mean increased security and more armed police officers patrolling London's streets and points of interest.

That can only boost tourists' confidence.

One policeman I spoke to said that posing with tourists for pictures while clutching his submachine gun and keeping a watchful eye out at the same time required special skills.

"That's what we do. It makes people feel safe," he told me, his eyes constantly sweeping the crowds as he talked.

Mainland Europe, though, is having a harder time, particularly France. The French capital is a huge magnet for tourists, yet the dreadful coordinated attack on a theater and various cafes in November 2015, which claimed 130 innocent people and seven attackers, proved a huge deterrent for visitors.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Paris fell by more than 20 percent, and the overall number of visitors has just started to rebound by a modest 4 percent. The April 20 gun attack on the popular Champs-Elysees won't help that recovery.

Chinese visitors are a welcome addition to London's multicultural patchwork quilt - they stay longer, travel more widely, and, for my part, long may they continue to do so.

The author is managing editor, Europe for China Daily. Contact him on chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com