Brexit Just Made the UK More Popular Among Chinese Tourists

As if London weren't already the world's most popular tourist destination, Brexit has made it even more so. With the British pound at its lowest level in decades against the US dollar, even the Chinese yuan, which has also weakened recently, is finding more buying power in what is traditionally a very expensive place to visit.

From a travel perspective, Brexit changes little for Chinese tourists. The UK was never a Schengen country and has always required a separate visa for entry. In 2015, around 270,000 PRC passport holders visited, up 46 percent over 2014. This year should see both of those numbers easily beaten.

The draw, of course, is luxury goods, specifically British brands. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chinese and Middle Eastern tourists flocking to the U.K. as their purchasing value has increased,” Edouard Meylan, chief executive officer of Swiss watchmaker H. Moser & Cie, told Bloomberg.

While goods may have just gotten less expensive, traveling to the UK this summer certainly isn't any cheaper. A quick look at Air China and British Airways websites on 21-day advance purchase airfares were priced at RMB 10,279 and RMB 10,579, respectively. Yikes.