The Story of the BBC (that’s short for British Born Chinese)
The chinese community continues to rapidly grow in the UK, here’s a little timeline about how it all began…
It all kicked off way back in the 17th Century when the UK carried out naval trade with China and Chinese sailors first established residence in London.
And then in the 19th Century the Chinese communities began to expand in other port cities such as Liverpool and Cardiff.
The 1950’s saw the opening of a number of family-run Chinese restaurants and takeaways and with the invention of washing machines, many of the first Chinese settlers set up laundries.
The 1980’s saw another wave of migrations with the arrival of scholars and professionals.
And so the BBC population began to develop…
Today in contrast to the 1900s, it is primarily students who travel from China to study at UK universities.
Did you know that unlike the BBC, these students and their families who visit have the ability to spend considerably? In fact, in 2012 visitors from China spent a staggering £300 million in the UK.
Yes, Yes, we know that £300 million is a lot of money but it has the potential to be oh so much more!
According to the report by ‘The UK: Brand of opportunity’ published in 2013 by the UK China Visa Alliance, 86% of Chinese visitors are granted the Schengan Visa which allows entry to the majority of countries in the EU. However only a mere 11% are granted the required British Visa for entry to the UK.
Now imagine how much higher that £300 million can be… in fact, no need to imagine, the facts are here; a study by the UKCVA indicates that this situation has potentially lost the UK £1.2 billion annually in retail sales.
But have no fear, in September 2014, the Telegraph reported that the UK government is anticipating the launch of a new project, which will allow visitors to apply for both the Schengen Visa and British Visa in the same place at the same time.
This new scheme will open the door for Britain to a new host of Chinese visitors with the capability of spending an average of £1,688 on their shopping trips to London’s West End.
Fingers crossed…
