Chinese visitors to Scotland are increasingly turning to serviced apartments for their accommodation, with a leading Edinburgh operator reporting that China has become its biggest overseas market for the first time.
James Foice, Chief Executive Officer of The UK Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP), said: “Our member operators right across the UK have reported a very strong uptake in Chinese inbound business between January and the end of August. This covers all market segments including business, leisure and visiting friends and family. The favourable exchange rate is also helping.”
The Knight Residence by Mansley, a complex of 33 luxury apartments near Edinburgh Castle, said Chinese visitors were up 18% year on year, with China replacing the United States in 2017 as its single biggest overseas market.
It has introduce a special app and information pack in Mandarin, and a breakfast pack including noodles, chopsticks and selection of Chinese teas. A vending machine is also stocked with Chinese snacks and drinks.
Mansley Group Commercial Director Colin Stone said serviced apartments met the needs of Chinese guests who enjoyed an accommodation base with a home-from-home experience and the flexibility to be able to cook for themselves.
“I’m not surprised at the upsurge in the popularity of serviced apartments among Chinese tourists as they provide much more space than conventional hotel rooms,” he commented. “Chinese guests usually have hectic programmes and like to be able to stretch out and
relax in comfort and style at the end of a busy day of sightseeing, or do so during the day at times that suits them.”
Mansley also has luxury serviced apartments in London, Cheltenham and Inverness.
Earlier this month VisitBritain said inbound visitors from China to the UK had grown by almost 50% to 115,000 in the first six months of 2017 with expenditure up 54% year on year to £231 million.
ASAP reported that another 15,700 apartments were about to be build in the UK – an increase of almost three quarters over the current supply.