UK travel bookings to China are up by 40% in the first four months of 2017, according to new data.
The UK, South Korea and US continue to be the strongest source markets to China, according to global travel distribution firm Tourico Holidays.
Regional director of product development in North Asia, Hillary Wang, said: “Regional political turmoil, such as the nuclear crisis in the Korean peninsula, make the inbound China market more unpredictable this year – as Korea was the number one inbound source country for China last year – but, so far, Chinese travel business remains very strong.
“In fact, Tourico is predicting it will double its overall Chinese business in 2017, as both the larger markets and emerging markets continue to demand product in China.”
Emerging markets such as India (up 160%), the UAE (up 212%), and Brazil (up 90%) are helping diversify the demand, according to the company, which has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the data shows that the Chinese continue to be among the biggest travelers in the world, as outbound hotel bookings grew by 70% year-on-year in the first 17 weeks of 2017.
Wang said: “Our local Chinese supplier partners and distribution clients are both experiencing a strong demand in 2017 and we’ve ensured that a dedicated support team is in place to help them push their businesses to the next level.”