What does Brexit mean for China?

Tower Bridge in London, the United Kingdom, Nov 17, 2014. [Photo / IC]

Vote could stimulate tourism

The Brexit may attract more Chinese tourists due to the decline of the British pound, experts said.

"The most important impact on Chinese tourists is the possible currency fluctuations," said Jiang Yiyi, director of the International Tourism Development Institute.

If the British currency keeps tumbling against the renminbi, the yuan's purchasing power will increase. "Traveling to the United Kingdom may become cheaper, and Chinese tourists will be more willing to go there," she said.

About 270,000 Chinese tourists visited Britain last year, a 46 percent increase over the previous year, according to the British government.

Jiang said that the visa policy toward Chinese may not see big changes after the Brexit, because the UK did not adopt the Schengen visa.

But Britain has bilateral visa agreements with European countries. For example, it has a deal with Belgium to allow visa holders of either country to enter the other.

"But after the Brexit, we don't know if the situation will change," she said.

Xu Xiaolei, chief branding officer at Aoyou.com, an online booking website, also said the falling pound might make UK travel cheaper and it could also present an opportunity for Chinese capital to purchase British tourism assets.