Brexit's benefits for uk tourism

Students taking part in an overseas summer program organized by New Oriental visit the United Kingdom.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"We know that value is one of the most important criteria for holiday choice across the world and Britain is looking like a particularly good value for Chinese currency - we're 8 percent cheaper than this time last year," Yates says. "I think it's important for our long haul markets like China that we get the message out that we are a particularly good value."

China's outbound tourism has grown at double the rate of its GDP over the past three years, and visits to the UK leaped by 46 percent in 2015. Increased disposable income among the Chinese and changes to visa regulations have contributed to the upturn, yet Yates says the rapid influx of Chinese tourists into the UK caught VisitBritain by surprise.

"When we first forecast where our market growth would come from immediately post-Olympics, we talked about China really being the long play - we wanted to double the value of the market by 2020 to 1 billion pounds, but we've seen China grow so quickly that it's no longer a long play, it's one of the most valuable markets," she says.

Last year, spending by Chinese tourists in Britain was up 18 percent to 586 million pounds, making it the ninth most valuable market for the UK in terms of spending. For many in tourism, retail and hospitality, getting "China ready" has been central to business strategy in recent years. Over 300 businesses signed up for the UK's China Welcome program to help find ways of making their product more appealing to Chinese visitors.

Beiwei 55's Smith says British brands are in strong demand by Chinese tourists, and that a trip to Oxford Street is as important as a "selfie" in front of Big Ben.

"In general, shopping is a must do while (Chinese visitors) are in the UK," Smith says. Travelers have started to request visits to less internationally established retailers, like health store Holland & Barrett and shoemakers Clarks, in addition to prominent luxury brands.

"There are the obvious brands, like Burberry, that they are after, but there are certain ones which are less expected like (handmade cosmetics company) Lush," he says.

Lush has taken several measures to improve the experience for Chinese visitors at its stores. Many Lush shops carry catalogs in simplified Chinese, and all of its UK tills accept Bank of China cards. UnionPay and Alipay will be accepted on its UK website starting in August.

"We know (Chinese customers) like to visit the home of Lush in the UK," Karen Huxley, head of global public relations at Lush, tells China Daily. "Shops in key tourist areas have Mandarin-speaking staff - like our Oxford Street store."

While luxury brands are likely to be buoyed by increased sales to foreigners because of the weakening pound, there is concern among retailers over inflation affecting imported goods and falling demand from domestic consumers.