Tourism has become an important bridge connecting China and the United Kingdom, fostering economic growth and deeper mutual understanding between the two countries. Benefiting from improved visa facilitation measures and increasingly frequent air links, two-way travel has continued to grow in recent years.

The UK is a major European source market for inbound tourism to China. According to the UK's Office for National Statistics, around 615,000 British tourists visited China in 2024, with the figure continuing to rise in 2025.

China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy has further fueled the "China Travel" trend among international visitors, including those from the UK. British travel vloggers have shared their firsthand experiences online, offering fresh and direct perspectives on China to a wider audience.

At the same time, the UK has seen a steady increase in Chinese visitors, providing a strong boost to its tourism sector. Data from VisitBritain, the UK's national tourism agency, shows that Chinese travelers made nearly 463,000 trips to the UK in 2024, generating approximately £723.8 million (about $989 billion) in spending. VisitBritain forecast in late 2025 that the number of Chinese visitors is expected to reach 667,000 in 2026, a 28 percent increase compared with the estimated figure for 2025, contributing around £1.3 billion in tourism revenue to the UK economy.

The UK government has introduced a range of measures, including optimizing visa processing and simplifying entry procedures, to attract more Chinese travelers.

Enhanced air connectivity has also provided strong support for tourism exchanges. Currently, 21 direct flight routes link China and the UK, connecting London, Manchester, and Edinburgh with 11 major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Weekly round-trip flights have reached 228, the highest among European countries.