John Lewis retail director Andrew Murphy named as chairman of UKCVA
John Lewis retail director Andrew Murphy has been named as chairman of the UK China Visa Alliance, the body campaigning for a shake-up of the visa application process to attract more Chinese tourists to the UK.
The UKCVA’s analysis shows that only around 7%, or 200,000, of Chinese visitors to Europe choose to get the two visas required to visit the UK as well the 26 countries covered by the Schengen Agreement.
Since forming in July 2012, the UKCVA has been in discussion with the Home Office about enabling both Schengen country and UK visas to be applied for in China at a “single drop off point”.
Murphy said: “The Chinese consumer is by far the largest spender among overseas visitors to the UK, and that spend is a vital area of growth if we are to remain globally competitive as a visitor destination.
“Whilst incremental steps have been taken, the UKCVA believes more must be done by the Government to ensure that the UK attracts its fair share of Chinese visitors, levelling the playing field with other European countries. I look forward to working with the Alliance to ensure the Government makes these vital changes.”
