Forward flight booking data showed that bookings from China to the UK were up 24% from Wednesday 30 January to Tuesday 12 February, compared to the period when Chinese New Year fell last year. VisitBritain is expecting 483,000 visits from China in 2019, up 43% on 2017, with Chinese visitors expected to spend more than £1 billion this year, up 50%, moving it well into the UK’s top 10 markets. Chinese New Year is a prime time to travel for the Chinese and the UK is gearing up to host some of the largest celebrations outside of Asia. Events include three days of celebrations in Liverpool, parades in Manchester, festivals and performances in Birmingham and Leeds to a street parade from Charing Cross to Chinatown in London and the first ever Chinese New Year festival in Edinburgh.
