(Yicai Global) April 13 -- London & Partners are working with the UK capital city's hotels and tourist attractions to prepare to welcome back Chinese visitors after the pandemic, according to the chief executive officer of the city's business and promotion agency.

“For London, Chinese visitors are such an important part of our visitor mix and part of the fabric of our city,” Laura Citron said in an interview with Yicai Global. “So for the last few years with the pandemic, when we’ve had very, very few Chinese visitors, we’ve really noticed the difference.

“Chinese visitors were our second-highest spending group after the US, so our theatres, and our shops, and our pubs, and our restaurants are really missing our Chinese visitors,” she said.

During the past 10 to 15 years, the large number of Chinese tourists has greatly impacted London's industries, Citron noted. L&P is working with hotels and tourist attractions in the city to ensure everyone and everything is ready for their return.

“We don’t know exactly when Chinese visitors are going to come back, but we’re expecting that soon -- over the spring, summer, and into the autumn -- we’ll see a really big surge in visitors," Citron pointed out.

“China is a really important trading partner for the UK, and we have teams who are based in China, who work with Chinese businesses, supporting them to come and set up their businesses in London as they expand into Europe, and that’s an important part of what we do,” Citron said. Major Chinese banks have picked London as a financial hub to develop their overseas business, she added.

“Our universities are also doing a lot of work to attract students from China,” she said. “China is the biggest international student group in London. There are over 35,000 Chinese students living in London at the moment.”

L&P operates under the London mayor's office, attracting investment to the British capital and promoting its higher education and tourism globally. The agency runs the city's official visitors' channels and campaigns, including content in Chinese, to help tourists organize their time in London, according to Citron.

Editor: Martin Kadiev