Hong Kong and mainland tourists keep visiting UK despite terror attacks
Chinese bookings to Britain see no significant decline after 3 major terrorist strikes, UK travel industry representatives suggest
Hong Kong and mainland tourists are continuing to visit the United Kingdom, apparently undeterred by recent terror attacks in the country, although analysts say the incidents may have a short-term negative impact on tourism.
Despite three major terrorist incidents in the UK - attacks in London last Saturday, a suicide bombing in Manchester in May, and a March attack on the Westminster Bridge - , various travel industry representatives suggest these events have had no significant impact on travel to the country, in terms of cancellations or changes to Chinese bookings.
A spokesman for Ctrip.com, a popular Chinese booking site, said the UK remains a popular destination for Chinese outbound travellers, with “almost no cancellations” or impact to new bookings since the attacks.
A consultant with a leading tourism agency in Guangzhou said students and parents are naturally concerned about the incidents, but the concern tends not to extend beyond the preliminary stages of decision-making.
“Once they have their eyes set on [visiting] particular prestigious universities, they will go for it,” said the consultant, who asked not to be identified. “Their concerns mostly remain in the consultation stage.”
Total visits from China to the UK last year came to around 260,432, with travellers spending some £513.5 million (HK$5.17 billion), according to VisitBritain, the country’s national tourism board.
Jason Wong Chun-tat, chairman of Hong Kong’s Travel Industry Council, said terrorist attacks have not discouraged Hongkongers from visiting Britain.
“Any impacts will just be temporary, if they ever happen,” said Wong, who also directs one of the city’s largest travel agencies, the Hong Thai Travel Services.
In the attacks’ wake, the actions and words of individuals studying and traveling in the UK echoed the sentiments of the well-known World War II-era British government motivational poster: keep calm and carry on.
Hangzhou-native Zhu Wenjue, a master’s student at the University of Oxford, said she does not feel particularly unsafe in Oxford, which is some distance from the cities targeted in the attacks.
“If I decide to stay and work here, I would try to go to London, and safety is something that I would consider,” she said.
Cola Ren, a master’s student from Guangzhou studying in London, said she was “extremely terrified” the night of the recent attacks, but understands that safety risks come with deciding to study abroad.
“Once you [decide] to study abroad, being far away from home and feeling unsafe are things you should prepare for,” she said.
Mengchu Wang, who is originally from Fujian, was travelling in London the night of the latest attacks, but said both her travels and plans to move to the UK were unaffected.
“We all feel sorry about the terror attack in London,” she said. “It can happen anywhere in the world, just like a car crash. It won’t alter my plans … Even after so many deplorable incidents, London is still the best city for so many people.”
But Shaun Rein, managing director at China Market Research, warned that the attacks could have a “devastating” impact on Chinese tourism to the UK, particularly since more than one incident has occurred recently.
Chinese visitors are “very concerned about safety and tourism”, so they are more sensitive to international events than other travelers, he said.
Areas that previously have experienced terror incidents have seen tourism fall off for a short while but saw the negative effect mitigated months later.
While travel to Paris plummeted from 9.8 million travelers in 2015 to 8.4 million last year in the wake of the 2015 attacks on the city, officials said in April that tourism has recovered.
Impacts to Chinese tourism in the UK will likely not be long-term, Rein said, although it may take six months without incident to reassure tourists.
Additional reporting by Phila Siu and Mimi Lau
