Quicker visas encourage Chinese tourists to UK

The UK is set to welcome a wave of new Chinese tourists after a streamlined visa process is unveiled in a matter of weeks.

Rob Whiteman, chief executive of the UK Border Agency, will visit China in the next fortnight to announce a change. The move will allow Chinese tourists to apply for a British visa alongside a single European Union visa in a parallel process.

Currently potential Chinese visitors have to apply separately for UK and European visas in a lengthy process which pushes many to decide to visit only the 25 European countries that come under the Schengen Agreement, thereby missing out a trip to the UK.