• Before 1995, Chinese visitors were a rarity anywhere. The World Travel Organization’s projection that there will be 100 million outbound Chinese travellers by 2020 is well-known and likely to be a substantial underestimate

• The Chinese government has expressed itself vigorously in its aim to encourage travel abroad for its population. Official policy aim has removed visa restrictions and seeks a 9% annual growth in outbound numbers every year

• Europe repeatedly tops the list of “dream destinations” for the Chinese traveller hungry to experience travel that was until recently an impossibility for most. Currently it represents a modest 6% of outbound Chinese travel, but this figure is set to change dramatically

• The Chinese traditionally travel on very tight budgets – but with large wallets. Their average spend per person in Europe was $4070 in 2006. The Chinese repeatedly top surveys as the biggest shoppers around the world; they are reputedly the highest spending national group in Paris and also outspent Arabs, Russians and Americans on Bond Street in 2009

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Tourism is a hugely important industry to Suffolk. It represents almost 12% of our GDP and employs tens of thousands, directly and indirectly. London (and to a lesser extent Cambridge) are well known to the Chinese. The rest of the country is pretty much a blank canvas. Word of mouth (nowadays through Internet blogs) is a very powerful way of becoming noticed. Our county has an enormous amount to offer the Chinese. Newmarket, the home of horse racing, is a big attraction, as are our Heritage Coast, Constable Country and our beautiful small towns and villages. It represents in many respects the "quintessential" English county for the Chinese and perfectly suited for short breaks from a London base. Suffolk has already taken the step of creating a website, in Chinese, to attract future visitors to our county and to begin to put us on the radar.

Most Chinese do not speak English particularly well and even the Latin alphabet is of course foreign to them. They respond phenomenally well to the slightest effort to accommodate them and to show that a restaurant, hotel or attraction has thought of them, addressed their specific needs and would like their business. By the simplest of steps, such as providing translated menus, visitor information or a mini website, you can literally transform the experience for a Chinese visitor. The more Suffolk tourism providers who join in this campaign, the more claim we have to be a “China Friendly county” and the more notice we will get cumulatively within the country.

Please contact us if you would like to join other Suffolk businesses and need help in preparing such materials