Cheap pound draws record Chinese tourists

There's been a surge in the number of Chinese visitors to the United Kingdom, apparently spurred-on by the low value of British currency.

Chinese tourist Ines Chou poses for a portrait on New Bond Street in London, Britain October 5, 2016.[Photo: VCG]

I'll let you into a secret. I'm very rarely seen in any of London's multitude of luxury boutiques.

This, of course, is not because I'm unfashionable. Ok, I am quite unfashionable. But it's also partly because streets like Oxford Street and Regent Street, which are home to many famous brands, have become so busy in recent years that most Londoners will do almost anything to avoid them.

A few weeks ago, I was forced to brave Regent Street in a fruitless attempt to find a Birthday present for my wife.

It had been several months since I'd been there, and I was struck by the fact that every single store I visited had employed several Mandarin speakers to help visiting Chinese shoppers.

This seems like a very sensible idea, and is a sign of the fact that Chinese tourists are very quickly growing in importance to London's economy.

In fact, according to recently released data, forward bookings from China to the United Kingdom have increased by an incredible 29 percent this year.

Of course, Chinese travellers head to the UK for a number of reasons, but one factor that's certainly been encouraging the increase is the low value of the British pound.

This has made it much cheaper for Chinese visitors to buy products and services whilst they are in Britain.

Unfortunately, I didn't the present I was looking for in Regent Street - and here's the basis of a top tip. I found it in the infinitely more pleasant shopping surroundings of Canary Wharf.

If you're planning a shopping trip to London, I'd recommend doing the same!