Charlie Li is the Beijing representative for VisitBritain. VisitBritain has a pan-Asia contact center, based in Hong Kong, that provides information on Britain in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. It have also has offices in Shanghai and Beijing to support its marketing of Britain as a leading destination within China for leisure, business and education. In China, Li works closely with the travel trade and the press to market Britain as a distinctive destination within Europe and try to attract more Chinese tourists in the UK.

What specific areas and programs within the United Kingdom are you promoting for outbound Chinese tourists?
For VisitBritain, the brand promotion of British tourism destination in China relies on four pillars: History & Heritage, Nature & Countryside, Events & Activities and Contemporary UK.

The "Welcome to Britain" series work of VisitBritain in China includes organizing tourism industry delegations to take part in British tourism exhibitions, holding industry seminars and visa consultations, and training travel agencies at all levels.

As the UK is not a signatory of the Schengen agreement, does this affect the availability of travelers visiting the UK?
UK continues to maintain one of the most popular tourist desitiations for Chinese travelers. After the ADS Agreement was signed by the two governments in 2005, the number of Chinese tourists to the UK has been constantly increasing.

The Visa Section of the British Embassy has improved the visa application process to be faster and easier to Chinese tourists. The issue rate in 2006 of ADS visa is 95%. By May this year, it is 97%, the highest among all EU countries.

How is the UK working with local government and private industry partners in China?
We are working very closely with the China National Tourism Administration. We join and support the exhibition and events organized by CNTA every year which provides a great platform for Chinese and British tourist industry people. Also the statistics and policies CNTA issue are very important to know for the UK travel industry to understand the China market.

We treasure the relationship with Chinese travel agents very much. As Chinese tourists can only visit the UK as groups, Chinese travel agents play a very important role in the market. We work extensively and closely with Chinese travel agents. We organize familiarization trips, training and missions for them so that they could have a better understanding of UK tourism resources to develop more products in China.

What special arrangements have UK tourism authorities implemented to ensure Chinese visitors feel welcome in your country?
With the increase of Chinese tourists, more and more UK tourist organizations are providing Chinese service and facilities. For example, Windsor Castle and Roman Bath both have Chinese audio systems. Visit London, VisitScotland and Marketing Manchester opened their Chinese website recently. Sherlock Holmes Museum will open its Chinese website soon. The tourism industry in the UK is taking action to welcome Chinese tourists and trying to make them feel free at home.

With an Approved Destination Status, how are you seeing arrivals to the UK change over the coming years?
The outbound tourism market in China is booming. We believe the number of Chinese visitors to the UK will have a great increase in the coming years. We expect the rate to increase at 10-15% every year.

How are your London 2012 Olympic Games planning coinciding with the coming Beijing Olympics?
The two Olympic Games present an excellent chance for China and the UK to enhance national image and destination brand. VisitBritain are working very closely with VisitLondon and the Mayor's Office on the detailed marketing plan towards the 2012 Olympics. The Campaign will probably start in next August around the Beijing Olympics.